Torch
by Punishers Apprentice
Summary: Split personality disorder sucks. Being homeless sucks. Being a homeless metahuman with split personality disorder just takes it too far. Throw in a penchant for fire rescue and that's the life of Torch. Welcome to MY life.
1. Introduction

Torch

Split personality disorder sucks. Being homeless sucks. I'm a homeless metahuman with split personality disorder and a penchant for saving people on accident which just takes it too far. But that's the life of Torch, welcome to my life. My split personality disorder keeps me from remembering my real name and causes memory blackouts so I kept waking up in alleyways. When I wake up near the passed out I really hope my other personality is on the right side of the law and not some criminal or supervillain who just tried to kill those people but they're both likely since I can't remember what happened ten seconds before I wake up.

As close as I can figure I'm under the age of 18, so a homeless kid at best and maybe a street rat, y'know those who steal to survive. Which makes my patron super type Pied Piper because he helps my people and doesn't try to put us in the system, even with my amazing powers and split personality I don't think I could handle the baggage of being a metahuman trying to do good from an orphanage or whatever happens to orphan metas. I think I'm over ten years old, just because I'm too tall to be in elementary school. Here's the kicker (I don't care that's a dated phrase, I have an amnesia problem): I don't show up on facial recognition, even Batman can't figure out who my other personality is.

Okay, enough babbling, or writing without reason, whatever. I'm writing this as a memory exercise because it's apparently dangerous for a Martian to enter my mind while my powers are active so I can't just ask Manhunter to dig up my memories, I even have mental blocks to protect against telepathy and no one can explain it. I mean seriously if I didn't have split personality disorder I'm pretty sure every superhero I know would try pulling a Batman. They'd pull a Batman so much even Batman would consider their methods a bit extreme but I retained control of myself long enough after meeting a member that I was evaluated by a psychologist the Justice League trusted (no I can't endanger them by identifying them). So I officially have a split personality, think of it as a form of multiple personality disorder and not me lying about my dual identity (I used to call it dual identity disorder as is) or me being like Two-Face because the last one is offensive on multiple levels. I'm clinically diagnosed and seeking treatment not someone with a fragile psyche broken by acid damaging the façade they built to protect said psyche, try to be sensitive.

Getting back to the point, assuming I have one, I'm writing an autobiography for two reasons. First as I said it's a memory exercise, second merchandising. I write an autobiography and the publishers will be jumping at the bit to distribute it. I can save that money, a Justice League friend is gonna make me a bank account so I can cash in on merchandising and buy a clean shirt. I'm kidding, kinda. I'm a homeless metahuman with split personality disorder and a penchant for saving people on accident. Just give me a break if I'm not the greatest at financing when I don't know what my real name is.

On a side note, as if I need any more with this introductory chapter. I'm actually writing this with Black Canary's help at the moment. The women in the Justice League may very well be all psychologists with how they keep us hot headed men in line. Of course if you're American and you don't know Wonder Woman is Princess Diana of Themyscira with how much she announces it in battle and before the press, why are you bothering with a teen superhero's autobiography?

Now let's start with my first memories before Canary leaves and I feel the need to introduce my next writing partner. **  
**


	2. First Awakening

I'm back, or still here and so are you my reader. Congratulations, I've been diagnosed with a split personality not ADD, yet. I promised my first memories and you'll get them.

I woke up, not in my signature uniform (I know sarcasm). I was in khaki or cargo pants, a green T-shirt, brown sneakers (ever the elitist attire) and orange hands, kidding I think I still looked like me but I had this brown coat on. My original coat had two gray stripes on each sleeve, it was letterman's style not a parka or anything. I think it might've burned up. Fun fact, I have fireproof clothes. My power can't hurt me, like how running at mach 4 doesn't kill the Flash, but the fire other people make can. I heard another guy with my powers gave superheroing a try but he kept burning his clothes off and gave up I guess, he disappeared from sight. I remind you I never made the conscious choice to become a superhero, I have a penchant for saving people on accident, it's heroic instinct not like someone with memory blackouts can. Ow! Canary just slapped me, now I'm getting a silent warning and I do not want her to open her mouth, I'm sure she can kill me by crying.

So I covered my original uniform, I just wandered around. I knew something was off but when no one knows you, amnesia isn't too obvious. I picked up some paper off the ground, just curious what the deal with it was. That's when I discovered my powers, I understood the point of paper as I can read but it's not like superpowers come with labels. Can you imagine, if all I had to was look at my hand to see WARNING: HAS THE POWER TO MAKE FIRE. But no it's doesn't work that way, can you imagine looking at a person's hand and seeing WARNING: CAN RUN AT SUPER SPEED. Secret identities would require a lot of makeup. People might reconsider burning at the stake for the villains who keep busting out of prison.

So I picked up some piece of paper to look at paper. I don't know what I was expecting touching the thing to do. Somehow I knew how to read so I got the idea before the paper caught fire. I rolled it up and dropped it in a puddle. I'm a rebel, my personality is more instinct than thought due to my memory problems. I didn't get out of people's way on my little walkabout, they got out of mine. Though I wasn't dressed in my stereotyped rebel uniform, I was actually more of a rebel then since I didn't know I was being rude. I've learned a lot, a lot of words since discovering my powers. I actually remember learning some of them, the ones I learned being Torch since I've kinda grown up with my powers. I think I was maybe a foot or so shorter when I burned that piece of paper.

I'm getting the warning look again. I've also learned to read people and deal with scared children. Returning to the story, I continued to walk on, unaware pushing past people is rude. I couldn't control my powers back then I had a flickering flame in my right hand. Being unable to burn myself, I did that for a while before I realized it. I saw people drifting (read cowering) away from me and at least one man choked on his coffee before I became aware of my hand getting warm on the gloomy day I came into this world. I looked down and saw a flame dancing in my hand, it was thankfully closer to my fingertips than my wrist or my clothes would've caught.

It kept burning as I moved my hand closer. The power is called pyrokinesis because it's the fire version of telekinesis and it's also supposed to be one of the hardest powers to master due to fire's uncontrollable nature as well as the wielder's emotional nature (anger and vengeance). I'd seen how afraid people were of me. Imagine seeing your brother get struck by lightning so he dies as his body turns into a heat source, that's my version of why people naturally fear fire deep down. Martian Manhunter could kick Superman's ass but he can't kick over a candle because even though he's from the red planet close to our sun, fire still burns him. Most powerful, uh, being on the planet and pyrokinesis gives me the power to destroy him. Sorry, I had to ask Canary for permission on something. I didn't get permission because my request endangers the whole Justice League.

Now, are you ready for my first heroic action? I swear it's cooler than stopping a mugging. Though honestly, I didn't know how to shoot flames on instinct so I guess it's lame if you think anyone who doesn't save someone's worldly possessions on their first hero outing is a terrible hero. If that's your perspective, why did you buy the book about the guy without a rogues gallery? I'm serious. Are the rest of you ready? No, well too bad. Don't look down the page.

I knew people were scared of my fire. I couldn't read expressions enough to know if any of them silently insulted me for being a freak but with my current experience I'm guessing at least one moron insulted the guy holding a fireball in his hand like he's not holding anything. HEY! I just had to push Canary away from the keyboard, apparently it's not good to insult people in a book bearing the names of the League's founding members less than two pages away. If I don't insult people at least twice on every page it's not going to look authentic, she's currently reading over my shoulder so I don't insult the Justice League. It just dawned on me that's why she's helping me write this. The League is helping me because an amnesiac with pyrokinesis is a dangerous thing. If my memory blackouts grew, if my mind returned to the day I came into this world of super-humans then I might lose control and earn a place at Belle Reve penitentiary.

"That's not going to happen. Keep writing."

Right. I knew people were scared of my fire and now I have an idea of why people are so afraid of the burning light source. As if that's not enough, as a pyrokinetic (I love the word pyrokinetic, it's so much better than turns into a living lighter), I can make the fire with my mind. Because that mind was pretty empty, I wasn't controlling the fire, it was just appearing and disappearing. Worthy of a double check not, what's the d word that describes their hatred, forget it.

Getting to the story, finally. I knew people feared my fire so after I stopped making it, I didn't even think about fire. After I stopped making my fear-inducing fire, I saw people coming together around a building on fire. I know what you're thinking I thought: that's so not fair, I can't make a little flame out of nothing but when someone else makes a big one out of an entire building it's amazing. You're DEAD WRONG, and I love this caps lock. Rather I ran over, curious. I didn't have enough knowledge or experience for what you think I thought. I knew people feared fire and listening in on what they were saying as they surrounded the fire just backed that up.

I ran into an alley, not for the first time since I awoke. Maybe that's why I keep waking up in alleyways, my other personality is kind of an idiot. Focusing. I ran into an alley and took my clothes off, so I was only wearing my boxers. It's not what the perverts among you think, I didn't know who was in the burning building and I was probably in my preteens. The paper caught fire and I guessed people were usually like that. If fire didn't cause damage to people, why did they need rescuing? Why didn't the people in the fire just walk out the front door? I guessed fire could do to my clothes what it did to people and paper. I noticed everyone else had them on so they were needed. I tried to just remove the fire hazards, I later learned to use my powers to protect my clothes, after I learned what stuff was called. I had some idea of the basics like fire but remember readers clothes is short for a longer word and neither are basics when you don't remember your own name.

Here's a bit of irony before I go into further detail of my amnesia fueled blunders. Pyrokinesis is supposedly one of the hardest powers to master, I learned the basics in under a day without committing arson. Not only that but I did it before I learned words like clothes or that you shouldn't run into a burning building in boxers. Just to add to the irony pile. My name is Torch. What's the second thing I did with my powers? Hold fire in my hand.

Sorry in advance for those trying to track down photos of me nearly naked but there are no pictures, trust me. If you won't take my word for it, consider this. Batman was tasked with determining my other personality and he can't prove I didn't make this up or imagine it. The World's Greatest Detective can't prove I didn't hallucinate this whole story. It's pretty smug of you to challenge his word. I can't swear in this, I really want to publish this so I can get a life outside the alley.

Now back to my first outing. In my boxers I rushed up a fire escape a few stories. I think another homeless person stole my clothes while I was doing this, stupid street rats (insulting myself now, I wish that was new). A few stories up, I tried something that I joke about now. I wasn't quite level with a good opening in the burning building but I leapt for it. I made the opening, no formal training that I know of but I managed not to kill myself jumping from a fire escape into a burning building, by this time the building was crumbling because the fire hadn't been contained. Today I might have been able to save the building, not the whole thing but scared people were crowding around and I guess no one had called the fire department. Today I can fire a flare into the sky that can be seen for miles before diving in, a flare made of fire.

Give me some credit (I'm not schizophrenic but I am narrating my past), this was my first outing. As I've repeatedly said I never made the conscious decision to be superhero, I've said that since I was first asked about my lack of a costume. I landed, without broken bones though I didn't expect any because I didn't know what bones were. I saw a bright fire and walked through it. I was running on instinct and maybe adrenaline. People cowered hopelessly in the flames, they had singed clothes and the smoke made them cough. I was unaffected but they were too desperate to notice how weird I was and I was too naïve to notice how weird that was. At first I thought I'd found two people, then I realized their shape was off, they were protecting someone. I leaned forward and the one closest to me touched my outstretched hand then quickly took it away. I wasn't a hallucination and that's somehow worse. Something fell near me, I can only feel extreme heat from fire because I am greatly immune, so when I felt pain from whatever fell I knew the paper-like people couldn't survive here. I grabbed the person closest to me and hefted her onto her feet. The two adults had been protecting a child, an unconscious child, as if two burning bodies against it was better than smoke inhalation. To this day, I don't quite understand smoke inhalation as my fire is smokeless and fire can't cause me any harm so I'm immune to its smoke. You don't need in depth understanding to know two burning adults on a child doesn't help the smaller body. With my free hand I threw the kid over my shoulder, making both adults wince, I think, it's hard to tell with all the pain from smoke inhalation. I still had the first person's arm in my hand, she wasn't standing up right so I put her other hand on the kid on my shoulder. The other woman had gone from fearing for the kid to panicking desperation to whatever makes people wince like she did to pure terror. It didn't help I had no social skills, I didn't think to try to calm down the terrified people in a burning building. Now who's acting like Batman? (insulting myself counts as insulting people).

When I say no social skills, I mean no social anything. The woman tried to crawl away but I just yanked her up and sorta dragged the three people I was supposed to be rescuing. One arm over each shoulder so they were keeping the kid from falling off. I jumped out of the building. The way we fell, I took most of the hit when we landed. I straightened and leaned forward a little so the kid on my shoulder fell into my hands then I just gave the kid to the one of the women like I was giving her an object before I jumped to try to climb inside.

I got inside. The landing hurt but I was kinda distracted rescuing people. I rushed through the building, jumping out of it with other people and repeating my painful landing. I learned something from this exercise, aside from jumping out of a building hurts, I also learned fire makes buildings crumble. While I was saving lives, granted some of the people might've preferred to take their chances over my tactless rescue, I kept kicking fallen debris out of my way.

I paid for my stupidity. I was leading some of the smart people, people who didn't try to stand up and run as the ceiling was covered in smoke. Then one of those things that kept falling in my way started to come down, landed right on my back and blocked the people's path. The people had stayed close to the floor which I didn't understand as everyone else I'd gotten out had been just fine getting up when help came. I lifted the stupid flaming beam (I didn't know what it was then, I didn't even know people shouldn't stand in a fire). Once it was fixed on my shoulders, the thing was heavy so holding it hurt not that I can be burnt, the people crawled by.

One man near the front of the pack, the smart people had formed a pack to escape death. This man put his hand on the back of one woman as they passed me. Here's my theory on why she felt whatever for my situation. If you're not Christian look up the crucifixion, I had a support beam over my shoulders and I was in my underwear. I don't mean to insult any Christians but my hands were sorta in the right place, holding up the beam and being in a fire plays tricks on your sight. I'm immune to any injury you can get from being on fire, any injury the fire directly causes but I also heal fast so there's not really anyway to kill me slowly, sorry aspiring supervillains.

Plus people are scared of fire so of course anything on fire scared them. I didn't expect people to help me save them since a burning building is apparently something to watch and people inside just made it better. If I'd known half the words I do now the people outside the building woulda angered me. Thank your deity I didn't know anything because as I explained early, an angry pyrokinetic is a dangerous thing. When the pack was clear I dropped the support beam behind me with some effort. Try holding something that holds up a building on your shoulders for three minutes as people crawl past avoiding fire, now jump out of a third story window a few times and repeat the exercise. Forget breaking my shoulders and back, I must've had more than a few broken bones to start with.

I was tired from supporting that burden and people were still crawling slow. I snapped "Faster." One of the few words I knew how to say, I'd heard it wandering around earlier. This pack of people wasn't about to disobey the guy who was seemingly unhurt after holding a burning support beam. At least one of them must've been loopy enough to see Superman or something, someone doing it with no problems. They crawled faster and I got to the opening, fire had made it grow and become unstable but I wasn't going to sit on the ledge. I grabbed the people and tossed them down. The fire department had eventually been called so I knew they wouldn't be hurt in the fall but they didn't know that as I tossed them out in quick succession then went back into the burning building.

Wanna know how I got out of there unseen after so many people saw me in my underwear walking through fire? So do I.


	3. Meeting The Flash

I like the Flash, I think I wake up in his city more than anywhere else. Who doesn't like a guy who can run really fast and still waste time delivering puns? I guess everybody who's sensitive about how slow they run and everyone who hates his one-liners. Even the Rogues respect the loud mouth, though saying they like him will likely get you killed and I am not about to risk an ice sleep by doing that. Puns are sacred in Central and Keystone because Flash loves 'em, Cold loves 'em (though I hadn't met him yet) and puns are a Flash signature. I don't do puns. I do rebellion, teenage rebellion but since I'm starting with Flash puns are possible. Did you know when a new superhero says someone's Flashing they're talking about his humor? Flashing is when someone won't stop telling Flash style jokes. It got started when a young hero got tired of Flash yapping when he was supposed to be training the new superhero.

Moving on to my first encounter with the butt monkey (or Scarlet Speedster, Sultan of Speed, take your pick he's got a million of 'em). Did I already reach my quota of two insults per page? I feel like I did. Well it's more of a minimum. On with the story (yes I know I'm the one preempting it but I can insult myself and still count it towards my quota).

I was just walking by, I try to cover ground when I'm in control because I don't know how long until I lose control. I heard gunshots and like any self-respecting (or disrespecting) hero I ran towards the robbery turned hostage situation. I walked through the door calmly, smoking in my now signature uniform. A gun was quickly in my face, my English had greatly developed into my rebel banter, "You don't know how that thing works, do you?" The metal heated up and the thug dropped it, cradling his gun hand. As he leaned forward to do that I put the smoke in my mouth and fired two streams of fire at his accomplices. Before I could turn my fire on the last two hostage takers the red monkey ran in, did the job for me then stopped in front of me like he wanted a standoff. I turned the fire off and took my smoke out of my mouth, "Flash." I wasn't a fanboy which may have confused him more than the fact that I'm not Heat Wave.

He asked "Who are you?"

One of the hostages, a teen girl, ran over to me, "Torch!"

I smirked "That's my name. I'm outta here. Flash, take care of the cops."

I went to the alley behind the building to wait and smoke. When the Scarlet Speedster ran up the side to the roof. I stood at the base of the fire escape, arms crossed. I was not going to climb all those stairs for a three minute conversation. He looked over the ledge at me then he was beside me, "Are you coming?"

"I have fire powers, that's it, I can't run really fast and anything like that. I am not going to climb up to the roof of a building so you can talk to me for 30 seconds then zip away. Understand?"

He sighed then I was on top of the roof in a flash. "Happy?"

I'd heard that sarcasm so much, I knew he attributed my speech to teen rebellion. Between that sarcasm and my stupid nickname (Hothead, very original), I had to grow some thick skin to stay on the hero side of things. I delivered the rebel line, "Never." My tone was sharp when people bugged me and I knew the Flash was going to be one of the people who'd enjoy annoying the rebel, his villains called themselves Rogues which should've been my first warning if I'd known what the word meant. I went on to list my powers, closing with "If Batman told you my secret identity, I'd love to hear it because I don't remember my real name. Now if you'd drop your attitude maybe we can get somewhere."

Flash stared at me for almost ten minutes, I know, I checked a clock and I'm not exaggerating. In speedster time seconds are hours so ten minutes is at least a week. So the Flash is missing a week of his own life because he gave a rebel attitude. I don't create all this irony, it just happens to me. In the time he was frozen staring I extinguished my smoke-free flame and well, I'll put it this way I can honestly say I ran circles around the fastest man alive. It still counts even if he put himself in a daze beforehand and therefore no one else remembers it plus being on a roof means there's no video proof which is why it's Gotham law all superhero business be conducted on rooftops, no telling which rooftops get used the most. (if you believe that's a law, you are dumber than me on my first awakening. At least I didn't know what Gotham and law were, still don't really).

When Flash finally overcame his apparent shock, I was standing in front of him tapping my foot. So many lives may have been destroyed or worse while he was in that self-induced trance, just be glad the Gems ain't Gotham. He rubbed the back of his neck then looked at the same clock I saw and actually swore. Poster boy Flash, Sir Speedy Gonzales said a bad word. Man, I wish I could say he swore like a sailor but he only said "Oh $#!" which isn't really cursing in some circles. (bad censoring, morons can figure out his curse). Another insult to the reader down, I think I've gotten my quota outside Flash insults.

Where was I? Right, after Flash realized he'd put himself in a ten minute trance out of ego. Well then we talked, I can't reiterate exactly what he said as it endangers certain League members. But I will say this. Despite all the insults I've dealt him in this chapter, I learned that day he's not such a butt monkey.


	4. Meeting Batman

I always wake up in alleys so I'm gonna try to stop saying that because that's always how these start. They don't usually start with Batman hefting me off the ground with one hand, pinning me to a wall or fire escape and screaming at me to give him answers. (Only superheroes can get mouthy about Batman, don't do it). Mostly because I don't usually wake up near a dead body in Gotham City, as I said in the last story I'm more drawn to Central City's clean-ish alleyways.

When Batman stopped screaming and tossing me around long enough to let me talk I told him the truth because you have to be insane to lie to Batman. I told him "I'm Torch. I don't remember coming to Gotham." He's the World's Greatest Detective and I wasn't diagnosed with split personality disorder yet, I didn't know the term memory blackouts either.

He stopped pinning me to parts of the nearby buildings which I was grateful for. How he knew to give me the full 3rd degree of Bat intimidation without knowing I'm not from Gotham is beyond me, maybe he was bored. He gave me an order "Follow me." You do not disobey Batman, even if you are a superhero in your own right. I'm pretty sure that's in the handbook not that I've read the thing. I followed him to the Batmobile, even with pyrokinesis and the inexplicable ability to be near the right place at the right time with memory blackouts, that car is just too awesome. Memory blackouts help as I have nothing to compare it with, no memory of seeing him on TV with the Justice League.

He ordered me "Get in."

When Batman orders you into the Batmobile while you're following him the hardest thing you have to do is resist the urge to say no duh. I managed that as I got in. Once inside I informed him of my predicament, as I correctly guessed he was taking me to the Batcave. He's Batman so he didn't let on if this threw a wrench into his plan of taking me there. He just used the car's monitor (what should've been the radio or GPS) to distract me. Once in the Batcave, he began the tricky task of trying to decipher my secret identity. Did I mention no one has done it to this day? Because I'm homeless, Batman paid me for my cooperation in all his tests (physical and medical) in food. I have no idea how much but it looks like both halves of my personality are homeless based on how much I ate.

Warning: Science. Today I know pyrokinesis may have a hand to play in that. I generate fire without wood or lighter fluid but my fire still needs fuel which my body provides. What I don't know is how I don't feel like I'm always starving. My theory is that my metabolism is geared towards my powers. Y'see the Flash has a serious appetite because his metabolism is geared towards his speed, everyone knows the Flash eats a lot (and flirts while doing it). The Flash is the fastest thing in the world but just like race cars he needs fuel. Because the Flash is a metahuman, his power source is the same as any person on the planet: food. So the Flash eats and he eats and he eats until all the food he can get is gone, I don't know if he ever really has a full tank. Taking the Flash's serious metabolism and transferring it to me doesn't really work, I'd have to eat a forest to burn a tire and there is no way I could survive being homeless. That's why I think my metabolism is specifically geared towards my powers. A high metabolism means your body stores no energy, you can starve fast but you can't get fat. I'm guessing a low metabolism is the opposite, you don't use energy because it's immediately turned to fat. Most people have a metabolism somewhere in the middle. My metabolism has to fuel my powers without making me eat everything in sight. I believe that I'm closer to a low than high metabolism, pretty sure the Flash is the opposite but he's the easiest example for metahuman metabolisms. I store energy at an amazing level so I can use my powers but I use the energy as well so I maintain a healthy build and don't go overweight.

Batman is human, it's a fact and everyone knows it. The Batcave is equipped with stuff so Batman can keep being Batman. Most of the tests he ran on the world's newest metahuman hero were geared toward the human part of metahuman, surprise surprise. I took my shirt and jacket off so he could put cordless monitors on (like for breathing and heart rate, I guess). If Batman can be surprised, me doing the tests without complaint had to do the trick. Metas often rely on their powers, plus I'm all about teen rebellion so the no complaints thing amazes even me to this day.

For one test, gave me a number of pull-ups to do and ten minutes. I'm guessing he's used to lots of complaining when he wants things like this done because the number wasn't very high, like 20 or less, and I passed it easily without counting aloud. Push-ups and sit-ups were among the tests, don't ask which came first I remember the tests not the time. He was testing me on a human level through most of it, maybe he thought it'd make discovering my secret ID easier. I even did sprints. Don't ask for details of the Batcave, I admit nothing.

If I sat here describing every test, this chapter would be boring and I'd have to skip the other shorter stories in it. Onto the tests with an actual point to being run on a metahuman. I did mention I had very little control of my pyrokinesis back then, right? I could make a little flame and keep it from burning my clothes but I couldn't make a flare. It's kinda funny, Flashes wouldn't want to do sprints without their speed but I braved fires before my pyrokinesis fully developed.

Morning came while we were testing which I guess is why we had time. After each test, Batman gave me a bottle of sports drink, I don't know what kind. The first few times, he just stood there silently as I drank the whole bottle. By the time the human tests were done, I was in the habit of draining the bottle and he'd disappear while I did. Occasionally I'd eat while he entered information into the Batcomputer. When he told me to burn something at the end of a range, I warned him I'd never tried anything bigger than the flame in my hand. He removed the monitoring devices and again told me to burn the thing. I tried and set Batman on fire. Once he was extinguished and bandaged he came back, slapped me upside the head and said again. I set him on fire, along with bits of the cave, did it like three times before he realized maybe the pyrokinetic teenager doesn't know what he's doing. Luckily for me, Batman probably didn't either since we did the same thing like three times, so I didn't get a Batarang to the head or whatever. After I repeatedly burned the Dark Knight on accident I got another sports drink and he left to get a flamethrower. Since I hadn't suffered severe burns it was clear I'm fireproof but to what extent was unclear. Batman told me my heat resistance threshold after he had his fun with fire, if Batman is capable of having fun.

Batman asked in Bat speak (using big words he kept having to define), "Are you invulnerable?" (I didn't know what the last word meant).

My answer was "To fire and that kinda stuff, why?" The reason he'd asked was because he needed to know if a needle for blood tests could get through my skin, it can. Today I can stop a knife with my fire powers.


	5. Meeting Catwoman

A cat blew by me, howling mad. I jumped to my feet, ready to burn something. I can't be harmed by fire but my clothes can catch and a man on fire is a terrifying sight. Catwoman skidded to a stop in front of me before I could burn her. Her pursuers saw a kid in a leather jacket (scary). But I didn't need to burn them to stop them and I don't have Batman's no gun policy. In minutes they were on the ground and I was running with Catwoman. WTF? (I have to censor, I don't have to do it well).

We got to her place, full of cats, before she stopped to ask who I was. "Torch. I didn't think of it and I don't have another name. I mean cops call me Hothead but that doesn't count."

Catwoman introduced herself, "Selina Kyle. Cops thought I was working for Batman during our debuts." We shook hands, she asked "Hungry?"

I shrugged, "I'm a living lighter, I can always use more fuel."

What I meant by kinda a hero is she steals from criminals and gives to victims. Her pursuers wanted their loot back. After dinner, she was amazed by how much I can pack away, we went on her version of patrol. I don't know how she didn't see me turn back into whoever I become.


	6. Meeting Superman

I never really wake up in Metropolis. If I woke up there half as much as I do Central then it wouldn't be so painfully obvious where I wake up the most. In fact I was recognized before I woke up this time, which means yes there's a villain in this one. I'm still all about firemen and rebellion but this is Metropolis.

Ever notice that the big guys (Superman and Batman) have nemesis who are their exact opposite? Superman is a God-like alien and his nemesis, Lex Luthor last I checked, is just a guy. Superman is modest, he might've picked Bob for a hero name, and Lex has an ego bigger than the sun. Superman can destroy a tank, LexCorp builds weapons. How does no one points this out on a regular basis? And with Batman, while doing everything humanly possible to scream I'm a bat freak without becoming a man-sized bat isn't healthy (I know I'm one to talk), the Joker takes clowns too far. Bats are animals and clowns are people. A completely sane man won't become a masked vigilante but still, they're opposites. Do I need to scream it to you? Would that help?

Black Canary says I'm way off topic and I agree, if nothing else this is supposed to be set in Metropolis. So, that time I met Superman, let me tell you about it. Instead of waking up in an alley, you just go with it the fifth or sixth time (not that I ever questioned it). Instead of the alley, I woke on a metal table in metal restraints, and you know something's up when you feel too hot despite FIRE POWERS (I love the caps lock). For a few hours it was dizzying, someone kept flicking from heat to AC (like going from the desert to the arctic and back a hundred or so times).

Then Lex shows up, guess he was in a meeting, and temperature becomes bearably mild (still on cold side, musta thought it was safer with the guy named Torch). Lex loves to talk, he was silent when he came in and prepared to do whatever they took me to do then he looked at me. Maybe he thought I'd be unconscious and the room was supposed to be soundproof so he didn't want to earn the Bat by acting crazy. He spoke to me but I'm not quoting, my English was developing so I don't remember exact words. Of course he explained why they wanted me. Pyrokinesis (Lex did not teach me the word), is not only one of the hardest to master, it's also extremely rare. Given the nature of my work, no one would notice another disappearance so he has lots of time to extract the secret of my powers. I'm not sure if the math tracks but maybe Lex was responsible for the other Torch, the one I went to prison for. Lex does his monologue and I remember something I heard, while my head clears from the thermostat war that was fought while Lex was somewhere else. I remember that Superman listens for morse code, specifically SOS in case his friends are in trouble. And when are they not? I remember whoever told me, I knew then but I don't now, also taught me the code.

Now after battling Superman for so long, Lex is gonna be ready for this so I interrupted him and said something along the lines of 'do it then'.

He was like 'very well'. I knew from the lab I was in, as if being strapped to a metal table doesn't already speak volumes, that this was going to be painful. I am far from the smartest guy in the Justice League but there was nothing to knock me out and my plan was simple. Lex thought I was thrashing when I entered the code. Maybe the lab was supposed to be soundproof, maybe it did pass the soundproofing test but Superman musta heard me 'cause he came to my rescue.

Did I mention I don't sense heat like most people? I think I mentioned that when I described my first awakening. Something has to be crazy hot for me to feel any heat from it. Unfortunately, Superman's cape doesn't share my heat resistance. Ironically neither does some of Lex's stuff and he made the freaky thermostat. I'm still not sure why my clothes were unaffected when most other fabric caught but thankfully Lex wanted to replicate my powers and he didn't think to have emergency dampeners (and he's a genius?).

Before I hadn't seen a point in trying my powers but when some idiot switched the heat on full blast and people's clothes were igniting, two things were clear. One, my powers weren't being blocked. Two, I needed to get off the table before someone died. Why wasn't Superman doing anything as Lex burned? I never said he wasn't but clothes weren't the only thing igniting. I created a flame in my hand, the cuffs were hurting after the morse code and the surprise of Superman busting in making me rub against them. With the small flame in hand I pushed more energy in it, twisting my hand so the flame went against the cuff. The heat of the fires around me wore out the cuff's shielding, my flame pushed it over the edge, breaking the cuff. With one hand free, I grabbed Lex's collar and for the first time I can remember, I manipulated a fire I didn't make, the fire burning Lex moved away. I yanked him so he almost fell on top of me and said "Off."

The cuffs came off and I stood, not releasing Lex. I put my free hand on Superman, extinguishing him and threw Lex at him. I escorted them both out of the lab, the flames not daring to touch us. I was experiencing what's called a power overload which is very dangerous but thankfully also rare. One person does something that causes a powered person to experience a power overload. In my case it could've been the thermostat rollercoaster messing with my body or something in the fires but it boosted my powers to a point where pyrokinesis is hardest to control, one ounce of emotion becomes the difference between hero and villain.

I marched them out of the lab (the fires weren't contained), my power plenty strong to blow out a window and hold the fumes in. Superman went about evacuating Lex's blacksite though I'm not sure what became of Lex in the after that. I stayed in the building, keeping the flames and smoky fumes inside. I'm not sure which fire I was feeling exactly but I've never felt better, maybe the power overload gave me that high. I held it until firemen came in to put it out. One of the firemen came up to me, "Torch?"

"Yeah."

"You can release your hold on the fire."

"Not until it's back in that lab, I'm not letting the fumes out." The fireman told me Superman was waiting for me.

Let me put this out there. Firemen respect my work and respect me more than police. I do the same thing they do: fire rescue. Doctor Mid-Nite could be EMS supertype like I'm FD's supertype, most heroes cover PD.

Back to the story. Instead of arguing I redirected the fire into the lab and covered the busted window with the door Superman broke down. "I'm leaving, alright. Which way to Superman?" The stunned fireman I'd spoken with pointed up. I made my way to the stairs as the firemen went to work putting out the now contained fire. I climbed to the roof to see a somewhat confused Superman. "Lex got away," I guessed.

He sighed and nodded, "That's not what I wanted to talk to you about. You're not how people say you are."

"I know. Let's not have this conversation here, a living lighter over a burning building." Superman nodded and began to fly away "I can't fly." You get tired of saying that as much as you get used to waking up in alleys.

Superman turned back, "You mind?" He held his hands out, a lot of human supertypes (Batman) hate to be carried in a hero's arms. I stepped up to the ledge, answering his question.

He flew to the Daily Planet building, he loves that building. He asked "How's this?" I think he was making fun of my powers, the Daily Planet is a newspaper after all. If he was, this is Superman so it wasn't on purpose.

I stepped away from him "I've never done that before. Manipulated a fire my powers didn't make."

Superman repeated himself "You're not how people say you are."

"I'm homeless, Superman. I'm a homeless meta teen. I don't know my real name or what I'm doing when I'm not doing hero stuff. People see me, dressed more like a thug than like you and they're already thinking things. I let them. I like Pied Piper over Green Lantern because Piper helps homeless kids while heroes would put them in a home. Anything else you wanna know?"

"Are you hungry? You just used a lot of power."

"Batman told you about half of that stuff," I told him that so he didn't try to knock me out.

Superman said "He did."

I asked "Did he tell you that I don't know when to stop eating? I'm a living lighter, I don't refuse fuel."

Superman smiled, "Sounds a bit like the Flash."


	7. Meeting Green Lantern

To be clear I'm talking about meeting John Stewart, the African American Green Lantern with the Marine personality. A military man teaming up with a patron of teenage rebellion? I might keep pointing out how crazy my team ups are, I might not.

This day actually started off crazy, not Metropolis crazy but helped a guy who tried to arrest me crazy. I'll explain. I usually wake up in alleys but as my Metropolis story proved I don't always wake up in an alley. I don't know if there's a pattern to my awakenings but let's just start with that fact.

So the day I met GL, I woke up on a rooftop with the guy floating in front of me and aiming his power ring at me like I was a supervillain. I guess to a guy like him rebels and outlaw are close enough to the same thing. So I wake up with his ring glowing in my face as he floats beside the rooftop, maybe he wasn't arresting for sleeping on the roof (private property I guess) but it seemed like that. I have heat resistance among my fire powers, you might think bright light doesn't bother me because fire can burn bright just as well as hot. Not entirely true. I said "I'm up. Turn that thing off."

His ring didn't stop glowing, "You're coming with me." That's where I get the idea Green Lantern was arresting me.

I said "Fine but you're blinding me with that ring and the sun."

He didn't like the back talk. He picked me up by my ankles and flew me away. He told me, "My sources say you can't fly." Just guessing but one of those sources may have been a Scarlet Speedster.

I said "I can't fly but if you think hanging me upside down, high in the sky is gonna scare me then you're wrong. I have no fear of heights and I jump down 12 stories without flight so I'm not afraid of falling."

Green Lantern turned around to face his mouthy prisoner, turning me upright at the same time "Listen Hotshot."

"Hotshot, people call me that all the time. Mostly cops, are you some kind of cop? You're definitely not a fireman, those guys love me because I'm the one superhuman who helps them first." I think I miswrote something earlier. My nickname with police is Hotshot not Hothead.

Green Lantern said "Green Lanterns police the universe."

"So why bother with me? I didn't hurt anyone."

He said "I beg to differ." Another thing: those people I supposedly killed to earn my stay at Belle Reve, they suffered smoke inhalation but that wasn't the first time I'd been accused of killing someone that way.

He took me to the sight of a fire, "You were here, weren't you?"

"I don't know. I have memory problems. I don't know how I ended up on that roof."

I won't say the number but "People dead. Smoke inhalation. You were here, whether you say you remember or not."

I said "Well you just wasted your time."

He turned around, if John Stewart smirks then he did when he looked back at me, "So you're ready to confess?"

"No. Smoke is part of a normal fire." I held up my hand and made a fire, "Not my fire." He was holding me by my ankles and when I showed him he was wrong that got tighter, "Ow! Now, you're hurting me."

"You're not afraid remember," he dropped me. I twisted around so I'd land on my back and he grabbed me at the last second with his ring.

John pulled me back into the air and flew away, dragging me. I screamed "Hey! Where are we going now?"

John loosened his hold on the construct holding me in the air, like watching me fall was funny. I know from experience, seeing people watching me jump out of burning buildings, that seeing someone fall from that high up is not supposed to be funny. He got over himself and shortened my leash so I was floating next to him. It is much more fun to be levitated by a hurt Martian Manhunter than flown by a pissed off Green Lantern. He said "We need to find out who set you up."

I asked "Is there anywhere you can set down? I need to check my ankles after you almost cut my feet off."

John had lost any attitude, "Alright." He flew us to his apartment building and set us down on the roof. I sat on the ledge and checked, holding a flame near each ankle and watching the marks go away. John asked "So you heal close to your own fire?"

"I can jump 12 stories down with people holding on for their lives. I just ignore the pain and keep going until the building is clear then I kinda pass out. I don't remember much between rescues."

He told me, "That's not healthy."

I looked up from my healing ankle, "Which part? Ignoring my own pain to save lives or forgetting my own life? We can't all be normal superheroes."

John said "I didn't mean, I wasn't trying to offend you."

"Offend? Try another word, I don't understand that one."

"I didn't mean to upset you."

"I don't get upset, I'm not allowed to. If I get upset then the world burns." I understood this concept long before I knew the word concept. I healed my ankle and steadied myself before standing up to face John Stewart, "I also don't get hungry like you but I have to eat all the same. Let's wrap this up so I can pass out."

John said "That is definitely not healthy. You were my best lead but if you have memory loss."

"So you didn't think I killed those people? Fooled me." He looked at me, "Okay, yes I have memory loss but I don't forget my rescues. I remember them just like everyone else."

"And you're telling me you're sure you weren't there?"

"I'm telling you I thought you were accusing me of killing those people. Smoke inhalation is part of being in a fire. My body is built differently than yours. I can handle fire rescue in my underwear, I did that once so I wouldn't burn my clothes. Something has to be crazy hot for me to feel the heat and I can't be burned, smoke doesn't hurt me. If I needed clean air, I couldn't go into a fire in my underwear. Is this helping?"

"How hot does something have to be to burn you?"

"I just said I can't be burned. I don't even feel heat in most fires. Why?"

"So you have never been burned?"

"You want me to show you?" He was getting on my nerves, "No I can't be burned. Are you gonna tell me why you keep asking?"

"You weren't at that fire then." He leaned on the ledge, looking out at the city, "The Torch everyone saw had burn marks."

"Then whoever they saw didn't have my powers." He stayed by the ledge and looked at me, "To make fire like I do, you have to be fireproof."

"So this was just some arsonist?"

"I don't know. It wasn't me and it wasn't anyone with my powers but my powers are pretty special so I guess you gotta start all over."

"If this is an arsonist, they're not done."

"I feel for you, man. I really do but I can't control how long before I pass out." I'd earned my rebel hero reputation and gotten over that whole not a hero thing but I couldn't be a rebel if I willingly worked with military man John Stewart.

He said "You're a pyrokinetic."

I looked at him "If I don't know the word offend, do you really think I'm gonna know that one?"

"Your fire powers." He sighed and explained, "Pyrokinesis is the ability to create and manipulate fire, people with pyrokinesis are pyrokinetic. You're right, it's incredibly rare on Earth. It's one of the hardest superpowers to control because like you said you can't get upset without burning things. I wouldn't doubt it if someone said pyrokinetics have a higher suicide rate than soldiers." He looked at me, I was staring at him, "Help me with this and I'll help you with your problems. Deal?" He held out his hand, I glanced at it then went back to staring at him. "A handshake?" I took his hand, still kinda dazed. How many superheroes do you have to meet before someone bothers to explain things to you?

I shook off my daze when he put a hand on my shoulder, "If I'm pyrokinetic, what's the other pyro thing? The one where they worship fire?"

"Pyromania. You think there's a connection."

"No. Maybe with those burns you said the guy had and the fact he was in a burning building unprotected. I was just asking for a joke, you wouldn't find it funny."

"Try me."

"What do you call a pyrokinetic pyromaniac?" At his uncomfortable look, I said "Doomsday."

"That's not so much a joke as a scary thought, a pyrokinetic pyromaniac."

"I know. I'm not the Flash. I'm still pretty new at talking," that confused him, "that's why I don't know so many words. Let's just focus on your arsonist."

"Do you know what an arsonist is?"

"I'm guessing it's someone who starts fire but pyromaniac seems more fitting if all you know is he was in the fire."

"You might be right about both things. Think you can stay awake while I go consult the police?" I shrugged at his question. He showed me into his apartment, "It's not much but there's a TV. Don't eat everything in the kitchen."

"You know about that," I was a little embarrassed. "It's not what you think. I don't get hungry, my brain is wired for pyrokinesis."

"Then don't eat." He left me alone in his apartment. I did like he suggested and watched one of his tapes.

He came back a few hours later, politely chatting with his landlady (someone said rent) as he came in, "Ready to go? I think I know where our pyro is gonna strike next." Guess I gave him a strange look because he explained a pyro is someone who starts fires.

I followed him out, "How do you pay your rent? Does being in the Justice League pay?"

He did not like that question but answering my questions is how he got my help, "No. I'm a retired Marine, I pay my bills like every other retired soldier. Why are you so curious about being in the Justice League?"

Fair is fair, "Because I figure if I can make it, if I can get in then I, I, I don't know. I mean I hope I won't be homeless if I'm one of the big boys. It won't matter what I do because I'll be one of them. Maybe I can even get help with my memory problems if I'm in the Justice League." We were soon on the roof, "I don't care what people think of me. I don't care that cops call me Hotshot while they wouldn't dare disrespect any of you guys in the League. What I care about is, is."

Green Lantern said "Go on."

"You said pyrokinesis is rare and one of the most dangerous powers. I'm missing more than half of my life. What if there is another Torch. What if when I blackout, I'm the bad guy. What I care about is protecting people, I just, I'm more fire rescue than crime fighting. I think that if I was in the Justice League then I'd have a better chance finding out what happens when I pass out or blackout. I don't see things the way most people do. There's no superheroes or supervillains in my mind, not the way everyone else sees them. Everyone else sees Pied Piper as a villain. I don't. How do I explain this? Pied Piper gives away almost all of the stuff he takes. He gives it to homeless shelters and programs for people everyone else hates for no reason like, what's the word?"

"I know what you mean. He gives his money to LGBT and he's openly gay which is the G." John looked at me, "What makes a hero to you?"

"There are no superheroes or villains. Piper helps the homeless and everyone calls him a bad guy. I don't care what people think and I'm homeless, maybe that's why I don't see him as a bad guy."

"It's definitely a special perspective."

"I understood maybe half of that. Still learning words."

"You're right. You see things in a way no one else does." I didn't even realize we were flying until I nodded to him when he said that. Green Lantern asked "How important is being in the Justice League to you?"

I said "I don't care what people think and I'm more fire rescue than crime fighting. I'm not gonna change to fit in. If I was gonna do that, I'd seek you people out and try to fight as many villains with you as I can. I'm the guy who rescues the little girl in the apartment three floors up while the rest of you heroes are fighting aliens. I just think that maybe being in the Justice League could give me a home and maybe it could get cops to stop laughing at me with all the Hotshot jokes. You don't see cops calling Flash greased lightning, only your enemies insult you guys."

Lantern said "I think you could contribute something to being in the Justice League but only if you're serious about being a member of the League."

"I'm not gonna stop doing fire rescue to fight aliens and just let people burn. Aren't heroes supposed to put people first?"

"I'm not asking you to but you have a reputation as a rebel. I need to be sure you can handle the commitment."

"I'm not gonna be committed to anything else since I don't remember having a life outside being Torch."

"Alright. I believe you, now keep your voice down we're almost there."

We didn't have to wait long for the scarred me to show up. Thing is he didn't start the fire and he wasn't taking the time to enjoy it. He was trying to save people. He knew when and where the fire was going to be, kinda like Green Lantern. I went into the burning building after him while Green Lantern said he'd be on perimeter. This gave me another unique perspective as I saw myself in that first awakening, trying to help people without knowing how to talk to them. He was helping a lady who'd fallen get up, I said "Let me help you," and ran to the other people who were on the floor.

I got two people leaning on my shoulder and the other me got more people to lean on me until I was almost collapsing, making me an evac point. I used that tactic in a lot of my rescues but I usually use a window that wasn't blocked and made my jumps from it. When everyone was at his evac point (me), the other guy started taking them to the window to jump to safety. I took the last three to safety and grabbed the other guy by his white shirt collar (my shirt is supposed to be white but it's usually covered in soot and ash). I dragged him to the building we'd staked the place out from and pushed him towards the fire escape. "Climb," I pointed up and he started climbing. I kept close behind him and Lantern met us on the roof. I pointed to the ledge, "Sit." He sat on the ledge, facing us.

I told John, "He's not our guy. He was saving people, the smoke inhalation wasn't his fault. He's a lot like me the first time I woke up with these powers. I think his scars are from before he was fireproof. Maybe dumb luck like mine leads him to fires." It dawned on me, "How'd you know there was gonna be a fire?"

He answered "Threats have been made to burn the place down." Then he turned to the other Torch, "How do you know he doesn't understand what we're saying?"

"I don't. The fire didn't hurt him yet he has those scars. He was moving everyone to one spot then he made jumps with them to get them out. Maybe something with his skin, like he can't get hurt anymore."

Green Lantern looked at him "He's deaf."

"What?"

"He can't hear us. He keeps looking at us when we talk but he doesn't do it right away. He can't hear a thing."

I tested this theory by throwing something behind me, a chunk of burnt debris I had on me. Green Lantern looked when it hit but the other Torch didn't notice it until Lantern looked. "You're right. Maybe that's why he doesn't suffer smoke inhalation, he's not trying to talk. The people he's rescuing don't know he's deaf when they yell for help. Smoke inhalation is pretty common for people in fires, it was common before superpowers became a thing."

Green Lantern stepped closer to me, keeping an eye on the other Torch but making sure a lip reader can't see what he's saying, "So he's not our enemy. I'm still taking him."

I turned so the other Torch couldn't watch my lips, "What's gonna happen to him?"

"The League will take care of him. We'll see if Batman can find any family to return him to. If you're right about his powers, he'll benefit from meeting Superman. The police think they have an arsonist on their hands, I can't leave him to be labelled a villain." He turned to the boy. "Interpret into sign," I guess he was giving his ring an order because as he spoke his ring projected an image of two hands in what I'm guessing is sign language. "I'm going to take you to meet some people, super heroes, and we're gonna try to help you."

I felt like a fanboy, "Can I come? I'm the one who figured out he's not a villain."

Green Lantern stood up and faced me, his ring stopped translating, "I'm not taking him directly to the League. I'm taking him to STAR Labs to get a professional opinion on his powers."

I backed off a bit, "How long can you keep playing interpreter? You might want to call ahead for a real one."

Green Lantern said "Keep an eye on him." He walked to the other side of the roof to make a call through his com and I sat down beside the boy.

We looked at each other, I asked "Can you understand me?" To see if he could really read lips. He looked at me like I was crazy and pointed to Green Lantern, so that's a no.

Green Lantern's call didn't take long, he came back with the ring translator back on, "We're gonna have an interpreter waiting so we can talk to you." He explained to the boy he wasn't gonna see the superheroes just yet. I left the roof while he was talking into his ring.


	8. Meeting Martian Manhunter

What a perfect combo? A guy with fire powers and a guy who hates fire? Honestly I'm not sure how this happened. Unlike the others, Manhunter doesn't have his own city to protect. I know how it got started, I came across a fire and did my job. How was I supposed to know the fire was meant to kill the Martian? I didn't even know where I was because Martian Manhunter has no special city. I guess that makes him a great Manhunter, or am I thinking bounty hunter? Is there a difference?

Anyway, I found Martian Manhunter in the blaze, his form flickering as he tried to shapeshift for the sake of normal firemen. I got him to lean on me, he was so overheated I'm not sure he realized who was carrying him as his power gave out and his skin stayed green. I got him out of the blaze and carried him through some alleys. Being a homeless drifter, I didn't have anywhere to take him if I had some way to get him beyond the alleys. I couldn't leave him but I knew there could be others in the fire. We were apparently far enough for his powers to work, he said, "No one." I turned away from the fire to face him, "I was alone. We must move quickly."

I said "All for that idea but with what that fire did to you I don't think teaming up is a good idea. Fire powers and all, I walk everywhere."

He admitted I had a point, "That's why they'll never expect you."

"What? You're not listening. I'm just fire rescue." I looked at him. I didn't want him near enough to screw with me and report back to Batman.

Manhunter was silent for a moment, "It is very likely that the people who did this will try to burn me again. The next fire may harm innocents."

I turned around, "I'm not a hero."

"You said yourself, you are fire rescue. I am telling you that there will likely be more fires. You would be able to serve your purpose more efficiently if you stayed with me."

There was no winning, "Read my mind, tell me my real name and I'll join you." My split personality is so severe, Martian Manhunter couldn't find my real name with my cooperation and we never tried that again.

After admitting he didn't know, he asked "What can I call you?"

I said "You really looked?"

He nodded, "Indeed." Believe it or not, it's easy to tell if a Martian is lying. They don't have human lie markers, judging by that is impossible. Humans are from Earth and Martians are from Mars (oddly enough).

I said "Fine. I'll help. Did you find any name to call me?"

"People call you Torch when they talk about your work."

"Torch," a flame appeared in my hand as I thought about it.

"Would you mind not doing that?"

I wouldn't say a guy who can go toe to toe with Superman was afraid so I'll say he was nervous, makes sense since I just rescued him from a fire and now I was making a new one. My response to his request was brilliant, "Huh?"

"Please."

I looked him in his Martian red eyes, "I don't understand the question."

"Please put that out."

The fire disappeared, "Okay. Where to?"

"You don't have a problem with flying, do you?"

I wasn't nearly as bright back then as I am today. I didn't understand why he was asking. If I had a problem with flying I would've just said so, why would I not? The question seems logical now that I understand the Martian's fear of fire (pyrophobia) and what pyrophobia does to its victims. Martian Manhunter wanted to know if I had a problem because he was afraid I'd panic and create a fire that would burn him. There's almost no way Manhunter could've known that I have complete control of my fire, even after it touches something flammable like paper. Neither of us knew back then that my fire retains its unique properties (lack of smoke) so even around normal fire, it never becomes normal fire.

I rolled my eyes "No, I have no problem with flying. I jump from high up and keep people alive in the fall." That used a lot of words I didn't know the first time I woke up. Of course my ability to speak was non-existent the first time I woke up.

"I'm going to levitate you." Martian Manhunter either saw or sensed I didn't understand so he lifted me slightly, "Like this but higher." I nodded and we took off.

Remember when I said I couldn't fly. Well, Batman can fly when he's being levitated, I just can't fly alone. I make jokes about heat rises to calm people when I jump with them out of a burning building. I'm about as capable of flying on my own as any other fireman. When you're a superhero, you lie to keep people safe. For years, Batman let myths about him being a vampire spread so criminals would fear him and think twice before pissing him off. Then he proved himself capable of going toe-to-toe with Superman, admitting he's human without losing the effect. He's actually scarier as a human than a vampire.

Martian Manhunter took me to his base, or something, and set me down inside. He said "Do whatever you wish but do not break anything," something to the effect but in much better idiot talk. When something is simple to you and you talk to someone that's never heard of it, you use idiot talk.

Throughout my time talking to Martian Manhunter I've noticed he doesn't use a lot of contractions. He almost always says do not or should not instead of don't or shouldn't. Not as big of a thing with you're and I've but maybe I'm just imagining a connection with my mild Bat paranoia. Fun Fact: almost everyone in the Justice League has experienced Bat paranoia, it's a side effect of working with Batman (Bat paranoia's namesake). Heroes actually cite Bat paranoia as the cause of funny feelings they get when a battle suddenly seems too easy as backup arrives. It's quite common though only members of Gotham's Bat Clan are capable of severe cases, thank God. Can you imagine Superman always suffering from some Bat paranoia? The City of Tomorrow's boy scout Man of Steel with his trusting and happy nature switched out for the fear inspiring aura of the Crime Capitol's detective Dark Knight, that's a scary thought. Almost as scary as pyrophobe Martian trusting a pyrokinetic. Anything can happen when time travel, aliens, other dimensions, metahumans and magic are all real (4/5 scientifically proven).

I wasn't paying enough attention to Martian Manhunter to know what he was doing after he gave me free reign in his base. I was too busy in the kitchen. I don't get hungry or full in the normal sense. I can go longer than anyone because I don't get hungry but I'll also eat every scrap of food in sight if it's offered because I don't get full. It's something unique to me not my powers. Even though I don't get hungry or full, I know how to reign myself in. I choose not to when I know the person offering can afford to give me a lot of food, like the guy who never runs out of bat shaped weapons. When I eat I'm always reigning myself in since my body never says no more.

I was busy in the kitchen while Manhunter was doing whatever. I'm lucky my brain doesn't respond to my powers like the Flash's mind does to give him that serious metabolism (I learned that word much later, after first encounters). I was eating when Manhunter came into the room, I said "You said I could do whatever I wanted. Sue me, you know I'm homeless."

Martian Manhunter just levitated some food over to himself, "I have found the people who started the fire."

"About that. I can't control normal fire." I didn't know half the words I'm quoting myself saying but I don't remember what was said word-for-word. This was before I met Batman, it was a long time ago, even with my memory problems.

"Are you fireproof?" The Martian picked up idiot talk fast but I'm not gonna write that. Even I have a limit on insulting myself.

"Yeah." I never stopped eating during this and Martian Manhunter joined me so I guess we had this conversation over dinner.

"Then you can check the building to make sure it is not a trap. I only ask you wait until I have come out of the building before you leave."

I said "Let me finish this food and we'll be even." He nodded, probably the best deal you can ask for with superhero (Flash) eating habits how they are.

After dinner, he flew us to the place he'd tracked the arsonists to and set me down out front. Martian Manhunter was right, they were set to burn him again which made me angry because unlike last time it wasn't an empty building so people would've died. When a pyrokinetic gets really angry running is like running from a volcano, pointless and maybe more painful than the alternative.

With a volcano, you might feel a little burn but you'd be dead before the ash cloud fills your lungs. If you run then you have to avoid the lava while you're breathing in the ash cloud. If you were close enough to be taken out by the initial eruption then you've got a long way to run. With a pyrokinetic, you're trying to outrun flames that someone is consciously moving to kill you with. A scared arsonist isn't that fast and bullets aren't gonna hurt the guy surrounded by fire. Luckily while I've always been pyrokinetic (that I can remember) I haven't always been a great pyrokinetic, I couldn't manipulate my fire like I can now but they didn't know that. When you see someone practically set himself on fire, whether he can chase you down or not isn't your biggest concern. You're too busy worrying what the burning man's gonna do to you. I said "You hurt my friend and now you're hurting kids." My flames grew. My clothes were not fireproof back then but I wasn't really directing the fire anywhere so it didn't matter.

The guys I cornered were begging for mercy, "You tried to kill kids. Why should I let you go?"

Unfortunately my fire wasn't nearly big enough to make Manhunter think it was theirs and he came in, "You should not. Let me take them to face justice, I'm sure they will confess their crimes and take their punishment now." That message but in mild idiot talk.

I didn't know the word justice and to some extent I still don't know what justice is. Different countries have different laws but I let the Martian take over. I told the Martian I'm not a hero and back then I believed it, I know better now. A hero isn't just some guy who fights crime and wears a cape. Firemen are heroes just like cops. Paramedics are just as much heroes as Navy SEALs. A hero is someone who does the right thing, a superhero is someone who does the right thing when no one else can or will. I do the right thing even though I have every right to be angry at the world, especially after I went to prison for crimes I didn't commit. I'm as much a hero as firemen, I just have the superpowers to boot.


	9. Favorite Rescue

I'm in a burning building and there's a little girl curled up in a ball, scared, and surrounded by fire. Trouble is I'm Torch, that makes me the rebel hero. Don't go near Torch, some parents say. In a burning building, to a little kid I might as well have been a demon in Hell. I was coming to get her, but not to hurt her. Not a fireman, that didn't help.

There were no firemen, their suits couldn't take the heat of this inferno. Even I felt the heat, can't imagine how this little girl felt or how she was conscious. I couldn't just go up to her and try to grab her, any sudden move could mean her death. The fire department was outside fighting the fire, I was inside on fire rescue. They were working with me to get the people, and bodies, out before the blaze burned them beyond recognition.

When I saw the little girl I started lowering myself so I wasn't this huge thing coming through the scary fire. When I was close I stopped, low to what was left of the floor. I took my jacket off, I had to get this girl out. The smoke damage to her body must've been massive yet she avoided the hotspots. I did my best to bait her out of her state. "My coat's fireproof," wrapping my jacket around her as best I could.

Taking the brunt of the flames, I carried her through the flames to a window. Firemen were ready to catch the people I dropped to them. Sitting her on the sil, I told her "I need my coat back. Secret identity stuff." She nodded and I pushed her out as I took my coat back.

I've made that trick a signature part of my fire rescue. Works much better than risking the kids inhaling smoke to talk to me by trying to lure them or risking them falling into more fire by trying to grab them. I finished evacuating the building. Most of the people got out alive which wouldn't have happened 30 years ago before metahumans and Superman were a thing. After I covered the entire building, I went to the edge of the floor I was on and jumped out.

Landing where everyone I'd tossed out of the building landed, I got off the fabric (don't know what the thing that firemen caught them with is called) and stood up. Ignoring the firemen pelting me with questions and thanking me for my help, I walked up to the fire captain to deliver my report, "I got everyone I could find out. How's the little girl from," I specified the floor but I don't even remember how tall the building was.

He told me "Severe burns, even worse smoke inhalation. She'll be in intensive care at the burn unit for a long time."

I asked the firemen who'd swarmed me, "Any of you got a smoke? I can't really do anything from here on out."

The captain looked at me like I was crazy, "Did you not hear me?"

"I heard you. I wanted to know if I sent down a dead body. She made it to a hospital, yeah?"

"Yes, she did."

One of my shadows handed me a cigarette. I guess the firemen catching my rescues got a break after I finished. Putting the cigarette in my mouth I cupped one hand in front of it and lit it with my powers, "Pyrokinesis is among the hardest powers to control." I looked at the man who'd given me a cigarette, "Fire powers are harder to control than speed powers."

The captain ordered the fire rescue guys to stop standing around and get to work on the fire. I asked the captain, "Got anything I can sign for your company. I don't do autographs much but I don't usually work fires this bad."

The captain showed me to their fire engine and laid out some of their gear, "If you wouldn't mind."

I said "Pens don't survive fires this bad." He got one out of the truck's cab, I took the pen and signed all of the gear. I asked "Got anything else? I'll sign anything you want. My autographs are probably worth a lot to auction off." I explained to him, "I can only feel extreme heat, that's the hottest I've ever felt."

He called one of my shadows over, "Torch is offering us autographs. Get him some spare gear and anything else you can think of for him to sign." The captain returned to lead the fire fighting efforts.

I recognized the man as the one who gave me a cigarette, I said "I'll sign your pack. Something to retire on, a kid's college fund. I really don't do many autographs, it'll be worth something really fast." He gave me the pack and I signed just below the logo.

He said "We'll need proof these are real for them to be worth anything."

"I know. I think your captain is trying to get this fire out before we take a picture. It won't be too hard to prove their my autographs. When I was in Central City, Flash and I went to a children's hospital. We were in a picture and Flash begged me to sign it for the kids. The hospital still has the picture," I put the cigarette out, "If you need to prove I really signed this stuff that's the only way."

He kept giving me extra supplies and some of the other firemen when they ran to the truck gave me stuff to sign. I limited one signature per fireman and only signed less than half their extra gear. Working together with other companies the fire was dealt with efficiently, I didn't have to evacuate nearby buildings.

I took some of my autographs to the other trucks. One fireman gave me a marker to autograph the vehicles. Before rolling out, the companies took a picture with me. I joined the first company on the trip back to their station, I rode on top of the truck. At the station, the captain ordered me to follow him. He sat me down at their table, "Cool off any on the trip back?"

"I'm fine. Fire can't hurt me, it was just crazy hot."

"Good." Someone set a soda down by me, "Now why were you smoking so close to the blaze?"

"Something to calm down so I can cool down, coming off the adrenaline high."

He nodded, "We'll be happy to feed you here but you should get going back to wherever you go when you're not jumping out of burning buildings."

I asked "What hospital is the little girl in? I was thinking I'd give her family an autograph to cover the hospital bills. I would've asked sooner but I'm not from around here, I need directions."

He told me "Finish your pop, I'll send one of my men with you. Her family can have one of our autographs."

"Children's hospital in Central City. Flash and I visited the kids, it turned into a photo op and we both signed the picture." I took a swig of my pop, "If you need to authenticate the signature, the hospital still has the picture." He thanked me.

A fireman took me to the hospital with an autographs. I made my round through the burn unit. That has to be one of my favorite rescues.


	10. Meeting the Justice League

I didn't meet the League on good terms. The first time I met a team of Leaguers I almost got people killed. I can't remember all of their codenames and this is my journal, kinda, so I'm not going to bother screwing up names doing a headcount. Here goes.

I remember thrashing as I was pinned to a Javelin seat and I heard something about I'm unstable. It was news to me but picking a fight with a guy called Torch, maybe that's not a good idea for your first official encounter. Anyone would lash out when they're attacked and abducted by super-types, I mean any capable metahuman would. They took me to the Watchtower, two strong supers took me off the Javelin. Angry was a memory by the time we landed in the hangar so I'm surprised the Watchtower still exists.

They threw me in a room with a bed and a locked door. In hindsight, I think it was the infirmary. When I calmed down enough to notice the place had a metal door that wasn't burning and the bed had bedding, I turned my fire to the more flammable object. An alarm sounded, must've tripped a safety feature that released the door. I didn't have a chance to escape before I was taken. A power inhibitor was slapped on and I screamed. Removing my fire-proofing before you get me clear of the fire? Really? Idiots.

They ignored my screaming, writing it off as my pain grew beyond unbearable. I couldn't scream or move when Batman saw them dragging me "What is going on?" He zeroed in on the collar, "Why is he wearing a power inhibitor?"

Their answer was "He's a threat, he attacked a team of Leaguers."

Batman demanded "Remove the inhibitor right now."

"What?!"

He gritted his teeth, "You're killing him. Remove the inhibitor."

"We're not,"

I was barely hanging on so I didn't fully register Batman's response for a while "Young metahumans can't regulate without their powers. Or did you think the screaming and struggling to stand was a show?"

Batman shoved one away and released the inhibitor. As soon as I was aware enough to register anything, I screamed. Batman was glaring at the two who'd been dragging me as he helped me off the floor and soon other founders joined us. We were in the cafeteria before anyone spoke directly to me, aside from simple things like 'can you stand?' Batman asked "Do you need anything to restore your powers?"

"No, I don't know. I'll never turn down offered food but I don't think I need anything special, like hot stuff."

Superman dared broach the subject "They said you fought Leaguers?"

"They attacked me first!" I wasn't mad at him but I didn't doubt he'd choose them over me. I got control before something blew up, "Something about I'm unstable."

Batman growled "Your powers are unstable."

Flash set a tray of food down in front of me, "You need to recharge your powers."

I held my hands up in mock surrender, "I'll never turn down food."

Batman asked "Where were you?"

Flash told him, "Torch wouldn't know."

Superman tried a different approach, "Tell us what happened."

"Don't be defensive. World's Greatest Detective will know if you're lying," Flash pointed at Batman.

I swallowed my food, "I was in a warehouse. I think I took too many to the head to remember why. They just attacked me as soon as they, uh, ID'd me."

Flash reiterated "They attacked you as soon they knew who you were?"

"That's what I said. I'm sure I did nothing since they didn't know what I was doing there."

Flash ran off to refill the tray, Batman said "Keep going."

"They attacked me, I fought back and," I sighed, catching my head in my hands. "I lost control. Shooting fire randomly, I just didn't care who got hurt. They were attacking me, why should I care if they got burned?" I raised my head and paused to eat.

Flash asked "What if you burned the whole warehouse down? You're all about fire rescue, would you leave them to burn?"

I grumbled, "Rebel hero," then spoke up, "I don't know. I didn't calm down enough to actually think until they threw me in that room."

Batman asked "Did you start a fire up here?"

"I don't know where here is, can I get on with the story?"

"We're sorry," Superman said, "Continue."

"They attacked me, I fought back and lost control of my powers. I didn't win the fight, obviously. They brought me here on some kind of jet and threw me in a room with nothing but a bed. When I calmed down enough to actually think I realized fire wasn't working on the door but the bed had bedding. I'm not the smartest person on the planet but I know fire. Metal beams don't burn as fast as bedding. When beams catch fire, people are pretty much screwed because firemen can't get inside to get them out with support beams falling. Me on the other hand, I can't even feel heat until the fire is crazy hot."

Batman observed "So you calmed down and set the bedding on fire, triggering the safety mechanism to let you out."

"Never got that far but yeah, I guess that was the idea."

Flash asked "What happened?"

"They grabbed me and put that thing on so the fire burned me. They ignored me when I screamed, like I was faking. They almost killed me, so much for heroes not doing that."

Batman said "That's when I caught them. They refused to remove the inhibitor, even after I told them it was killing him."

Flash refilled the tray again, it wasn't even empty this time. I think Batman scared him. I asked "What happens now?"

Superman said "I'd like to keep you up here to watch you while your powers recover."

I put my elbow on the table and made a flame, "They're back. I'm fine. I meant what happens to the Leaguers who caused all of this."

Superman said "We have to be fair."

Flash said "He means we have to get their side. Most of the League knows the fear of Batman."

"Great so a slap on the wrist." Flash opened his mouth but I was pissed "What's the worst you can do to one of your own? Kick 'em out? They attacked me for no reason. It's not like you can ban them from being superheroes. They won't learn. They almost killed me but I'm just a rebel hero."

Black Canary walked up from behind and put a hand on my shoulder, "It's not like that. We have to investigate before we can pass judgement."

I spun in my seat to face her, "It is like that. I don't see anyone else putting fire rescue above crime fighting. I'm not like you guys. They attacked me for no reason. They attacked me and took me here after I fought back. I'm not one of you super cops but I'm pretty sure that makes me a victim. But they're superheroes. They can't go to prison, it's too much of a risk. It's not like they robbed someone important." By this point I was on my feet, Canary was taller than me so it didn't have much effect. "It's not like they hurt anyone who matters, just that homeless rebel hero Torch."

Canary slapped me, "That's not at all what's happening. You're right the worst we can do within in the Justice League is kick them out but you're making it sound like they're getting away with murder. No one died."

"No one died! How stupid do you think I am? Yeah, someone died! Too bad the victim was homeless because no one cares about the homeless."

Flash said "Someone died, you didn't mention that."

"Again, the homeless don't really matter to anyone. Least not to anyone here."

Superman asked "Is your memory coming back?"

"Is the room on fire?"

"No."

"Then I ain't having a flashback." I shook my head, holding it with my hand, "I'm going to try something. Stay back." I extended my free right hand, made and manipulated flames to paint a picture. I opened my eyes, "Like that but not made of fire." I used my left to move the flames for depth and to show wounds. "Can't believe this is working."

Batman said "Hold it there." He did something with his suit as my attackers came in.

One of them said "That didn't happen!"

I asked "What are you talking about? I'm showing them dead homeless people, why do you care?"

He said "You're trying to pin the crimes on us."

"Well you did attack me but," I paused, "Did you do this? Is that why you attacked me?"

He got close, "We engaged an unstable metahuman."

Batman said "Pyrokinetics tend to be unstable but Torch has never endangered innocents by exercising his powers. You endangered innocents through your unprovoked attack."

I looked at Flash, "Fear of Batman?"

He answered "There's a reason for it."

I asked Batman, "Are you done with my fire?"

"Yes."

I turned my powers off, curling my hands into fists. The fire licked one of the tough guys as it lost its fuel. I stepped between Batman and the tough guy hero to sit back down, "People are in danger as long as hotheads like them get to stay in the Justice League. Kids look up to you people."

Flash said "A lot of people think you're a hothead."

"Cops call me Hotshot. They think it's funny. Must get that from you."

Flash gave a mock surrender, "I'll never understand you."

"Course not, I don't understand me."

Batman said "Someone will need to cover for them."

"So you're arresting them?"

"You've given us compelling evidence. We can't let killers stay in the League." He turned to me, "Would you mind joining us to finish up their work?"

"Why not?" Might be the fastest way out.

I follow them aboard a Javelin and we return to Earth. I burn stuff and somehow manage to outlast the founding Leaguers I was with. Then I get a sadistic choice, burn two heroes or the building burns. I make a flame like I'm going to burn Flash and Batman but burn the thing holding them helpless instead and make a run for it.

There have been times I've questioned my sanity, I cannot replicate what happened next. It's like my pyrokinesis turned into something else. I could see things in other rooms and I just knew where to go. Within minutes of taking off, I was in the control room. I threw fire at the only person there as my momentum carried me to jump into the room. Then the heroes I busted out joined me, Superman said "Good work."

My hands were on my knees and I was suddenly tired. Between panting breaths, I asked "What's happening?"

Superman told the others "Stay back."

Batman entered, "It's the change in climate. Torch is built for extremes but rapid change can hurt him."

"K," I breathed. Superman said something then grabbed me and got us away.

Next thing I know I wake up in the Batcave wearing only boxers, "What the?"

Batman came over from the Batcomputer, "You passed out, couldn't risk exposing you to extreme temperatures unconscious. The cave was a compromise."

"What do you mean extreme temperatures?"

"Volcano? Arctic?"

"Why is that Plan A?"

He sat down beside me, "Your powers protect you from extremes that normal humans can't stand. You can't be burned and I doubt you can freeze."

"I think I told you the fire thing. When fires get really hot, I feel the heat."

"Let me finish." I nodded, putting my shirt on. Batman continued "Your powers protect you from extremes that normal humans can't stand but that comes at a cost. Your body can't regulate, you don't sweat or shiver like normal humans. If the temperature around you changes too fast, your body can't compensate for it. The change hurts you."

"Luthor did something with that, he used it against me before I met Superman."

Batman admitted "That's partly how I know about this weakness of yours."

I swung my legs over the edge of the slab/table/bed I woke up on, "I do regulate. I just can't do it without thinking like normal people. It's like a built-in safety so my body can't screw with my powers."

Batman asked "Are you just your powers?"

"Most of my memory is tied to my powers. I can't go to school but I can learn about my powers. I guess I am."

Batman nodded, there was more to it but he wasn't saying anything. I put my uniform back on and he took me on patrol to get rid of me.


	11. Joining the Justice League

I stopped a robbery and just lit one of my fake smokes before Flash ran me to a rooftop across town. "You're in," the speedster said as I yelled "What was that for?"

Flash gave me a minute to catch my breath before repeating, "You made the Justice League."

"Really? So now I fight aliens? How am I going to make the ceremony?"

"Yes, no and already covered. When the ceremony gets close, you'll stay with a member of the League to make sure you get your time in the spotlight."

"That's your plan. I'm gonna pass. Where's the ceremony?"

"It's at the Hall of Justice in Washington DC on December 30th, two days before New Year's."

"Got it. I'll do my best to make it. Quick question, is there anyway I can get a new shirt? Believe it or not, this is supposed to be white." A lot of people think the soot and ash are an intentional design.

Flash looked at me, "It would be nice if you wore a clean uniform for the cameras. Tell me what you need and you'll get it."

"Black leather jacket, dark blue jeans, white T-shirt and black sneakers. My uniform has no logos."

Flash nodded, "Got it."

I reached my hand out before he ran off, "Mind taking me to the ground before you blast off?"

"Yeah, no problem."

Well, I must remember some things in my other life. I walked up the steps to the Hall of Justice and saw it was closed, locked up for the ceremony the next day. Green Lantern came up behind me while I was peering in, "You made it."

"Yeah. I'm not sure I can stay," Facing him, I paused to find the right word "me. Hoping I could at least go in so maybe I'll wake up here for the ceremony. Plus Flash said that a clean uniform would be a good idea and I don't got the clothes he promised."

Green Lantern smiled "I don't think you were this nervous when I held you upside down thinking you were an arsonist."

"I wasn't. Y'know you were the first one who told me what I am. I figured meta because that's what powered people are but no one bothered to explain anything to me."

"Let's get you inside before nosy reporters start eavesdropping." He opened the door for me and I shook off the snow, not that I could feel the chill.

I asked "Are you allowed to bring non-Leaguers into a closed Hall?"

"Well, your uniform's in here so no one's gonna tell me not to."

I followed him, sitting in the chair he pointed to. I was nodding off when he came back and shook me awake "Good thing you showed when you did, woulda missed my own initiation."

He handed me the clean, folded uniform and pointed to a door in a hall "Bathroom is in there if you wanna change now. Try not to fall asleep."

I followed his directions and came back out, "Now I know I've never worn a clean uniform."

He smiled, "Well that's easy to believe with the whole homeless thing. Flash and I both wanted to deliver the good news. Tonight I'm gonna make sure you don't disappear in your sleep then tomorrow you're gonna join the big boys."

"Thanks, Green Lantern."

"You can call me GL or John, everyone does. GL in the field and on missions, John when it's just us heroes. There are many Lanterns so secret identities don't really work out."

"John. Guess I'm gonna learn a lot about the hero world after this."

"You sure are, you're in it now."

"Right. So you're gonna make sure I don't turn back for a whole day."

"Few hours actually. It's pretty late, the ceremony is in the morning. Since we knew you'd need a babysitter to make sure you will be at the ceremony, the League stocked up on enough food to feed five Flashes. Let's test that black hole of a stomach, see if we can get your brain to say stop."

I laughed, following GL to a kitchen, "My brain's wired differently. Unless we're talking temperature, I'm just like you."

"Really?"

"I also have no idea what my secret identity is because my brain isn't wired like yours."

"Right. Makes sense."

"I've asked Batman, I've asked Martian Manhunter, I might've asked you if I thought I could get an answer. Batman did a blood test. Martian Manhunter read my mind. Still no clue."

"I heard about that, y'know you've saved heroes' lives."

"I know Martian Manhunter fears fire, is there a word for that?"

"Pyrophobia."

"Making Martian Manhunter a?"

"Pyrophobe and he has a good reason for that."

"You're the only one I know will give me a straight answer and you'll explain it to me. I don't know why. They're not hard questions, are they?"

"Arsonists and pyros start fires. Pyrokinetics can make and manipulate fire. Pyromaniacs are obsessed with fire. A pyrophobe has pyrophobia, fear of fire. If the word has pyro in it, fire is probably involved."

"Got it. So they're not hard questions?"

"You just need help with your vocabulary sometimes but your personality makes a lot of people,"

"Not like me. I don't care what people think. If they're prejudice enough to hate me before they met me then they'll never really know me. I think that's how Pied Piper sees things."

"Your personality is what made you such an interesting candidate. You're right, people in the League didn't like you and a lot of them didn't know you but none of the haters could fault those of us who met you and spoke highly of you."

"Did Batman say anything? He's famous for being quiet and, and,"

Remembering why we were in the kitchen, GL got into the cabinets, "He watches people, analyzes them and always seems to know everything. When he talks, everyone listens. That's what you meant."

"Yeah."

"I don't know how to put that in a word. Batman is famous for being stoic. Dark, stoic, calculating, brooding, sure of himself; when he's in the room, he's in charge. That's the Batman the hero world knows."

"So did he say anything when my name came up on the list or whatever you were talking about when you said Leaguers who never met me didn't like me? Did he?"

"Yeah. Batman doesn't say I like this person, he analyzes everyone so it's expected he won't give normal praise."

"And?"

"He was on your side. Confirmed he couldn't say who you are outside of costume. He didn't,"

"Bad talk me in Bat-speak."

"Yeah, that's one way to say it."

"I'm guessing most inductees don't hear much about who liked and disliked them when it came to letting them in."

"That's right. Well, let's just say no one who knew you was against you. Most of us defended you against the haters."

"Cool."

GL handed me a bowl of snacks, "How do you feel temperature?"

I sat on the counter to eat, "If I did sweat like everyone else, it'd screw with my powers. I guess my powers screw with me instead. When something's hot, I have to tell myself normal people can't touch that. My first fire rescue, I was so confused. If it hurts, why don't they just leave? Now I'm more confused why firemen wear more layers than police. I know, like,"

"Like on paper?"

"Yeah, I guess. On paper, I know people can't just run through fire to escape and the other stuff in a burning building, like smoke, hurts them. My pyrokinesis protects me and I can't lose my powers, I'd just stop being Torch, so I can never experience being burned."

"How do you feel temperature? Do you get cold easy?"

"No. I can only feel extreme temperatures. Works both ways. As Batman told me, arctic or volcano."

"So the snow?"

"It's there, just like fires are real. I just don't feel cold or hot. It's like, uh, let's say I don't have a heart so I can't feel emotions. I know something is sad because I see it make others sad, I understand it but I don't feel it. It's not fun but it's all I've ever known. Lucky me, I can feel emotions, I just can't feel heat."

"That's gotta be rough."

I was much meaner back then. "You just proved my point. It's all I've ever known so I don't feel bad about it. If I cared what other people think then they'd make me angry and they wouldn't understand because they'd be too busy burning."

"If someone said pyrokinetics had a higher suicide rate than veterans I'd believe it."

"It's not hard to have a higher rate when one out of five is out of five."

"Right."

"I get your point."

He set snack boxes beside me,"I think some people are worried about setting you off so they stop treating you like a person. That might be your problem."

"I agree. Batman asked me after the killer Leaguer thing, he asked if I was my powers. That's the problem. People see the powers not the person. I told him yes because I don't know my human side, I'm a supertype."

"Why do you call it that? Supertype?"

"Superman's an alien, Batman's human, Flash is a metahuman, Wonder Woman is an Amazon. I don't use the words hero because I don't like calling Piper a villain. Got a better word for it?"

"No." He handed me a soda.

We just talked all night. I still find it easier to talk to John than some other Leaguers. Around six or so, he realized it was morning as other League members came in. We went back to the seating area I almost fell asleep at, he told me to stay there until the ceremony. I had a big bowl of snacks, enough sodas to poison a rainforest and just to keep me awake he gave me a handheld to watch videos on, warning me not to misuse it (given our first encounter I did not want to piss him off).

When the time came for the ceremony, I lined up with the other inductees and stood there while Superman gave his welcome us. Martian Manhunter handed me my League ID, made a real show-stopping photo, a pyrophobe welcoming a pyrokinetic. I'm surprised it didn't become a huge meme, maybe it did and I slept through its stardom phase. After the ceremony Flash and GL were at my sides, giving me the grand tour of the Watchtower. GL showed me where my quarters were, Flash translated lingo into idiot speak then told me to use the lingo. When we were done, we went through the cafeteria to the festivities. Batman was there, leaning against a wall, he told my tour guides "Leave us."

After they did, I asked "What's up? Figure out who I am under the jacket?"

"No but this is about your mental health issues."

"Mental health issues? What's that?"

He growled then explained "The reason you don't know who you are under the jacket."

"Oh. There a word for my mental health issues?" I repeated his wording, still not sure what the phrase meant.

He answered "Possibly split personality disorder."

"Sounds about right, if I understand the words."

Batman was right in front of me, in the middle of the Watchtower, "You need to get help to get your head on straight."

"You mean I need to get over my split personality. What's so bad about it? I can't hurt my family because I can't remember them. How do you even know I'm anything other than Torch?" Do not try to intimidate me.

Black Canary came in the way GL had left, she cut in before I burned him, "This is not how we handle this, Batman." She turned to me "Torch, my name is" If you don't know her secret ID, you don't need to know it. "Batman was supposed to tell you that you and I will be working together to get your memory back, I want to help you remember who you are."

I stepped back, "Alright. Why do I need to know this right now? Are you gonna pull me from the party to start," I paused to think of the word, "therapy?"

Canary said "No."

I told them "Then I'm out of here." I left, bumping into Batman on purpose. Bad idea, I know but it's better than burning something or someone.

I stood off to the side at the party after I entered the main room. Like GL, Batman would answer my questions when I asked him. Unlike GL, Batman was not approachable, even if I could run to Gotham when I had a question. Batman didn't see someone to hate when he saw the rebel hero Torch and he didn't walk on eggshells around the pyrokinetic Torch. He didn't try to intimidate me, not more than he does everyone. He wasn't nice or approachable but he was patient. It didn't sit well, our conversation in the cafeteria.

I didn't know I'd started a fire show while I was thinking (yeah I did that even back then) until I heard how quiet everyone had gotten. The awed silence pulled me from my thoughts, I looked ahead to see a column of fire sprouting from my left hand. I had my arms crossed so my right hand held my left elbow and my left arm was in front of me. Following everyone's gaze, I looked up to see my fire formed a kaleidyscope effect on the ceiling. I thought a little and the kaleidyscope effect turned into images, hero symbols. Just to tick off the black and white thinkers I added Rogues symbols. Captain Cold's goggles and gun were visible in his silhouette. Heatwave's stood with arms out as flames surrounded, the flames flooded the image to move into the next one. Mirror Master appeared with his lower half in a flat surface, from there he rose. Captain Boomerang held two boomerangs ready to throw, he whipped them around before throwing them, just before they hit the Leaguers watching the light show, the image shifted. For Top, a man rode a tornado with a woman (Golden Glider) skating around the base of said tornado. Rogues' designs got more intricate but I kept the heroes' simple, their signature symbol or silhouettes of them posing.

Pied Piper's was by far the most intricate because it was more of a story than an image. For Pied Piper, I had him on one side with his flute to his lips while Trickster peaked out from the other and started throwing his gags. From the base between them, rats and Trickster brand chaos was shown in a wave. The wave covered the image and it changed. Piper, in his signature cloak, and Trickster, floating on his air-walks with his cape, running away. Piper grabs Trickster's cape as Trickster grabs Piper's cloak, an openly gay villain with his villain boyfriend kiss. I had them run to a shelter with Piper fisting his flute and Trickster bouncing into the air but without capes or cloaks. That was the short story then I switched to some hero symbols.

For Weather Wizard, I showed a guy holding a wand into the air to summon a storm. Lightning crashed down on him as another guy picked him up and ran out of view. I was tempted to try other villains but I didn't know how to portray them. The Rogues I kinda knew, I liked Piper more than, say, Aquaman. I just didn't know how to portray other villains and I didn't know how bad other villains really were. I closed the fire show with the Rogues together in silhouette then the original 7 Leaguers together as their statues appear in the Hall of Justice. I stopped playing with fire and received a round of applause. I leaned against the corner of the room, clearly ignoring them before requests rolled in.

One of the my fellow inductees walked straight up to me, "Nice fire show, Torch. That all you do?"

"Shut up and take a swing if you wanna start something."

"Alright," I saw more than felt him punch me in the face.

I slapped him across the face and he fell down, "You think you're strong and tough 'cause you break up bank robberies and fight thieves. You still sweat at a 100, shiver at 32 and jumping down 12 stories kills you. Building fires burn at over a 100, I jump out of those carrying 3 people sometimes. Hope you never wind up in a burning building, you'd get everyone killed. You're only in this for fame."

He tried to intimidate me, standing very close, "You're a joke."

"Maybe but least I ain't fake."

"Just stupid."

Flash ran between us and GL flew behind him, John said "Hey. That's enough."

The hero, Razor I think, said "Couldn't even come up with your own stupid codename."

Superman flew beside GL, both crossed their arms "Neither did I. Is there a problem?"

I said "Yeah." Turning to the computer with a blinking red light in the corner, I swiped my ID card. "They're out."

Superman saw the killer ex-Leaguers in a news report, "Coming Torch?"

I followed him out with GL coming to run interference and evacuate people if needed. Supes dropped me off on a fire escape, I focused on snaking fire around the buildings to hide my spot then created huge columns in the alley openings. The fire flew closer until it blocked the buildings and covered their escape routes. Then the band of former heroes saw me, I was torn from the fire escape for a beating. I moved the ring of fire closer, cornering them as I attacked them back. No one ever expects a fire-based hero, or any firemen in general, to be strong. Fat firemen aren't a thing but fat cops are. Kinda goes against logic to think cops are stronger than fireman.

Anyway, I'm by no means a trained, nor disciplined, fighter. They hit me, I hit back with almost full strength and called my fire closer. Unlike the first time we fought, I didn't see superheroes I'd get in trouble for hurting. I saw people who hurt and killed other people. They weren't super, just bad people. They're the reason I hate fake heroes. My teammates flew down. GL moved the two beaten men to the side and caged the last two lackeys in green light. Superman helped me fight their top dog. My ring of fire washed over him, completely surrounding him. His followers feared for his life. I moved the fire as he moved, trapping him without burning him. When the heat overpowered him, he stopped moving and my fire went away. He swayed on his feet and Superman caught him when he fell. Handing the last opponent off to Green Lantern, Superman looked at the battlefield. I didn't burn anything and all the damage was done before we showed up.

I was dizzy when Superman took me back to the Watchtower, leaving Lantern to take care of our fallen opponents. Razor walked up to me, "Good job. Could've gone a lot worse."

Flash explained to Superman "As soon as you left with a rookie, the others chose to watch."

Superman nodded to him then turned to me, "Infirmary, now."

I headed that way, Flash followed me out "Don't you have some fire healing trick?"

"Yeah." I stopped to lean on a wall, "Look Flash. I'm dizzy and I'd have to know where every injury is to heal using my fire. I mean there were three Green Lanterns by the end of the fight, I really need to see a doctor."

Flash nodded then stopped, "Alright. Find me in the cafeteria after you get checked out."

"Alright." I went to the infirmary, almost falling on the bed. I sensed movement behind me and assumed it was the Justice League doctor "Something is seriously wrong with my head. Everyone keeps shaking like crazy, I saw three of Superman at the fight."

I heard a man yell "He's got a concussion!"

Not recognizing the voice, I turned around and got up to sit on the bed. I saw a white, brown haired Green Lantern, "Wha?"

He cut me off "You're going to be okay, Torch. Are there three of me? Do you see?"

"No, not three of you here but, are you moving? Cause that's when people blur the most to me."

Lantern said "Yeah, I'm gonna sit next to you."

He did then asked "How bad is it now?"

I answered "It's weird, only people blur to me. Just blurring at the edges. You're not glowing, are you? I know Lanterns can do that."

Lantern said "No, I'm not glowing."

A lab-coat came in, "How do you know it's a concussion?"

Lantern answered "He said people are blurring to him, shaking real bad and he saw three of Superman."

I swiped at the doctor's hand when he pulled out a flashlight, I told him "Moving makes it worse and my brain's wired weird. I'm not sure if it affects this."

The doctor put the light back in his pocket, "Batman made a file for him?"

Lantern said "Yes. He doesn't experience normal homeostasis."

I explained "I can't feel heat or cold at all unless it's extreme. I never sweat or shiver. I don't feel hungry, full, tired, the opposite of tired, or anything that'd tell me if I'm running on fumes or not. My brain's wired weird."

Lantern told me "Homeostasis means your body regulates food, sleep, temperature, stuff like that."

"I didn't know what you said. Now there are two of you, like a second right half on your right side and second left on your left side. You're sure you're not glowing."

Lantern said "Oh, sorry about that. I was glowing just then, didn't really think to turn it on."

The doctor said "Green Lantern, if you would please stand up, I'd like Torch to lie back."

Lantern stood and hit me with a dizzy spell, I grabbed my head with my left. He moved towards me, "Ooo, sorry." I moved my right hand in his direction. When the dizzy spell went away, I put my hands down.

I asked "What do you want me to do?"

Green Lantern answered "Lay down on your back." I did what he said.

The doctor said "Thank you, Lantern. Now I'm gonna start with a physical."

Green Lantern started to leave, "Stop, Lantern. Can you translate his directions? I didn't know da word cafeteria this morning. I ain't gonna understand him."

Green Lantern said "Doc, maybe you should focus on his head."

Superman came in, "What's going on?" I got really dizzy by all the movement and soon blacked out.

I woke up in a strange room. I was laying in a bed: red sheets, black blanket and two pillows in mixed color cases. I saw a lamp on the nightstand next to my bed and fumbled to turn it on. It wasn't much light so I switched it off and used my powers, finding a light switch by the door. I walked over and turned it on. Across from me there was a desk and some kind of window. What caught my eye was my jacket hanging on the desk chair. I walked over to it and saw a laptop sitting on the desk. Instinctively I looked behind me (I'm homeless), I saw a new door close to the bed. Going in and locating the light switch, I saw it's a bathroom. It had the same red and black color scheme as my bed. Leaving, I looked around. The bed was across from a dresser and closet. The window by the desk was across the room from the bathroom with the bed between them. I turned the bathroom light off then walked back to the laptop, opening it I saw the name Torch with a flame image on the sign in screen. I closed the laptop, my laptop. This is my room, my League quarters. Everything in the room is mine.

I shrugged my jacket on and left the room. I was already late to meet the fastest man alive. I found my way to the cafeteria and John came over to me, "Hey Torch."

I said "Hi John."

He asked "How ya like your room?"

"My room?" I repeated then shook off my daze, "Guess I ain't homeless no more."

"Guess not. As a member of the Justice League, you're entitled to everything Superman's entitled to up here. Enjoy it man, you earned it."

I caught his wrist as he walked away, I said "My head's not all that clear, even for me. So I can take whatever I want up here? Food's free?"

Green Lantern stood up straighter. He went from buddy to military man, crazy fast. He told me "You can't just take whatever you want up here, everyone is entitled to their stuff just like they are planetside."

I told him "John, I just meant the food." And he was wrong. Up here everyone might be entitled to stuff. I ain't entitled to a thing on Earth, not my clothes, not my name, not my life, he knew that. Everyone up here has loads more than me. All I am is Torch. Makes me a homeless pyrokinetic teenager on Earth. Down there I'm a rebel without a cause. Cops call me Hotshot because I don't care about what everyone else cares about. They think I'll use my powers to burn someone then walk away like it's nothing. Y'know it is nothing. Millions living with nothing and the second one of them gets power, it just turns around and hurts them.

Not sorry about the rant, it was true then and it's true now but I didn't know all that back then. John said "You don't have a dollar to your name but those powers need fuel, have at it."

I smiled "I wouldn't know if I had a million dollars."

I ran over and piled my tray high with food. Sitting at a table, Green Arrow joined me, "Hey, Torch."

"Hey, Green Arrow."

"How ya doin'? You were in pretty rough shape when you and Supes got back from that fight. That your first?"

"No. Those guys almost killed me back when they were in the League. I kinda got them kicked out and hauled off to jail."

"Right."

I said "I hate it when people do that y'know," waving my hand in his direction before taking another bite.

"What?"

"Walk on glass like I'm gonna burn 'em."

Green Arrow said "I just don't know what there is to talk about but I want to talk to you."

"So talk. I ain't gonna blow ya up."

Green Arrow introduced me to sports, talking to me like a real person not a living fuse. I told him the honest truth, I can't keep up with sports because that requires basic control I don't have. John joined us, translating my words so Green Arrow can understand, then turned to me "I can help you with your vocabulary if you want."

I asked him "That laptop I saw in my room, that's mine now, right?"

Green Arrow answered "Yeah, ya like it?"

I shrugged, eating my mountain of food. GL explained "Torch doesn't own anything planetside. He was actually asking if we were really giving him something so valuable." He turned to me "You can use that laptop for online schooling, maybe. I'm not entirely sure how online school works. Do you need help logging in?"

I looked at him, he rephrased "Do you need help turning the laptop on all the way?"

I said "Yeah, what's the password."

"Got your Justice League ID card?"

"Yeah."

"Password's on there. It's the serial number. I can show you how to change it after you log on, that's,"

"Sign in."

"Yeah."

"Alright." GL started talking to Green Arrow, just like friends, and it was nice. Green Arrow kinda forgot who I was, my unstable powers and memory trouble disappeared. After I finished eating, practice pacing telling me I was done, GL turned to me "You can have more if you want. Flash eats up here 'cause he can eat more here than he can at home."

I told him "I don't have a full setting, the other GL said I don't experience homeostasis."

"Other GL?"

"Brown hair? White skin?"

"Oh, that's my predecessor, the first Green Lantern of Earth. When did you see him?"

"Before I blacked out up here, he saw me before the doctor."

"Well, I'm surprised he used the word homeostasis."

"He was talking to the doctor, I said my brain is wired weird and he explained."

"That makes sense. Listen, there's a red haired Green Lantern named Guy Gardner. He's the only one of us, you do not call Green Lantern. Then there's the youngest Lantern, Kyle Rayner. The first Lantern, the one you met, is Hal Jordan.* The four of us are the main Lanterns of Earth, the Justice Society has Alan Scott, but we're the ones you need to know. Got it."

"So, brown hair, white skin Lantern is Hal. You're John. Red haired Lantern is Guy and there's another one called Kyle."

Green Arrow explained "Kyle has black hair, white skin. John's the only Lantern that's not white."

"Brown hair, Hal Jordan. Red hair, Guy Gardner not Green Lantern. Black hair, Kyle Rayner. And then there's John,"

John smiled "Exactly. You can call Guy Gardner, Guy anytime. The rest of us share the GL codename."

"Which is why I need to know who's who."

"Yup. Go ahead and reload, having an ID card gives you all you can eat privileges."

I reloaded and rejoined them, "I honestly can't tell when I eat too much or when I'm running on fumes."

Green Arrow said "I can see where that'd be a bad thing but on the bright side you don't tire."

"I use energy like everyone else but my brain doesn't send the stop signal like it should." I ate through the second mountain of food while GL changed the subject. When I finished, I know I ate too much but I still don't physically feel any different. None-the-less, I stop eating and take care of my tray. I told GL "See ya around." I went back to my room and sat down at my desk, opening my laptop and logging on. I try out the different apps, figuring out what each one is, sorta, on my own the closing them all and closing my laptop. I laid down on the bed and finally realize why my room has a red and black theme. Black for my jacket, jeans and sneakers after all the soot from being Torch collected; red for fire. I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

Only to jolt awake to a fire alarm. I jumped out of bed and ran to the console I'd seen the red light on earlier. I asked "What do I do?"

Razor was on a warpath "What do you do? You little," Green Lantern landed between us. This one had a huge mask, black hair and a mostly white uniform, he was younger than John so he must be Kyle.

Kyle said "That's enough. The fire on a space station is enough of a problem without you two going to blows."

"He's just mad I knocked him on his ass when he couldn't land a descent punch. I'm fireproof, I have pyrokinesis. Let me ask again, what do I do?"

Razor said "He has fire powers. How do you explain the fire just happening while he's on board?"

Kyle looked at Razor "It's an electrical fire, some machinery caught." He turned back to me, "You can walk through fire and you have an extensive fire rescue background. Me and some others are gonna smother the flames and evacuate the necessary corridors. I'll take you to the fire so you can help."

"Thank you." Kyle picked me up in a bubble and flew me to the flames. "Kyle, right?" He looked at me, "I'm friends with John. He gave me a rundown on Earth's Green Lanterns." Kyle nodded. "Keep people away. I'm gonna try something risky, I did it once before in Metropolis when Luthor got a little too curious about my powers for his own good. I think I can do it again. Just, keep a perimeter." Kyle nodded and flew away.

I stepped into the flames and let go. The space fire hurt until I let my fire consume it then I felt glorious power. After my encounter with Razor, I was angry and I didn't really notice. I felt in control, as much as usual, when I talked to Kyle but that's what snapped me out of it. Kyle screamed into my comms, something I put in as soon as I got them, "Torch! Torch! Stop!" I came back and saw my fire pushing against the perimeter crew. I pulled it back with a whoosh then felt myself fall and float at the same time as the artificial gravity lost its effect.

GL caught me in a bubble and I could stand again, "Wha?"

Hal reeled me in "You lost control for a second there, bud."

I said "I'm always in control, I controlled the blaze but I guess for a bit, I became my power. Was it really only a second?"

"No," came from behind me.

I saw Superman fly past green light patching the wall and realized I was standing on one side of a gap in the floor. Superman said "But you got ahold of yourself before anyone got hurt," covering for his comrade.

I looked at him floating there, "How are you gonna?" I waved to the fire damage. "How'd this happen?"

Superman said "Current theory is electrical fire and we know how to fix our own satellite."

The voice spoke up again "Odd that we have a fire less than a week after the Hotshot joins our ranks."

I spun "Who's saying that?" I saw a man with no face.

Green Lantern said "That's the Question, our resident conspiracy theorist."

"I was with you until the end. What's conspiracy mean?"

Kyle joked "Think Batman's suspicion on steroids, he thinks boy bands and ice cream companies are connected."

"Oh, okay so you see the faceless man too?"

"Yes."

I asked "What's my real name, Question? Even I don't know it."

Question answered "Chance Diablo, better known as Chase Davidson."

Kyle asked "The billionaire teenager?"

Superman asked "Who is Chance Diablo?"

"The Devil's son, he's calling me prince of the Underworld."

Question asked "How could you know that if you're not him?"

"Diablo means Devil, right? GL John has been helping me with my vocabulary. He defines words when I ask and dumbs down his."

Kyle said "Woah, calm down, Torch."

I ran past him, I think Superman chewed Question out for doing something to me. I ran to the cafeteria. "Fire's out," I said as I ran in. I saw Canary and made a beeline for John, "My head, it's jumbled. I didn't think I was smart enough for that."

Green Arrow went to get Black Canary as I sat down. John was patient with me "What happened?"

"Some guy called Question. He said I was Chase Davidson, after he said my real name's Chance Diablo, the Devil's son. Is that real?"

John asked "Did he call you anything else? Anything to get to you?"

"He said something about the fire, called me Hotshot but he wasn't talking to me."

Black Canary echoed "Hotshot."

I glanced at her then looked back at John "That doesn't bug me. A lotta cops don't call me Torch."

John said "You said you thought joining the League would change that."

"It didn't!"

Kyle came in "Superman chewed Question out, he'll probably be suspended after he explains to Batman how he figures you're a billionaire."

John glared at Kyle as I stormed "Wouldn't know."

John flew after me "Wait up, I'll show you a shortcut." He caught me and asked "Where to?"

"I wanna do something useful. Can all your tech find a fire?"

"Sure."

We were a two man fire crew helping the local crew, I evacuated the building and GL smothered the flames. After I jumped out, the local crew swarmed me, basically shunning GL. One man slapped my back He put out the fire after I evacuated the building.

When I jumped out for the last time, the local fire crew swarmed me and ignored him. One man slapped my back, "Good to see one of our own out there in the big leagues."

I asked "Anyone got a smoke?"

One man offered me his pack, I shook out one smoke, "Want a light?" I put my cigarette in my mouth and held my hand in front of the end, the smokers in the crew popped their own smokes in and manipulating my flame I lit all of them. They let me through during their first drag and I approached GL. He looked disapproving at me, "What? It's just paper."

GL said "No it's not."

"Might as well be to me. I can't get high or whatever ya call it."

GL told me "You can't, they can, kids can. It's not a good image."

I took the cigarette outta my mouth "I'm a rebel hero, a Hotshot. Do you know how hard it is to rescue someone who thinks you're a monster? I go through that with every rescue. People already think I'm the Devil, me doing this just proves their point. Besides, they had their own packs, they were gonna smoke anyway. Let's get outta here. Don't put my smoke out."

GL smiled, or smirked, "Why not? It's just paper."

"I am my powers. Don't get the wrong idea."

"Whatever. Back to my place?"

"Sure. Could Question be right? About my names?"

"No."

"Wha?"

"Question thinks boy bands and ice cream companies are connected. Question doesn't care what Superman says but if Batman says he's wrong, he might just listen. Or he'll rant on and wear out Batman's patience. Either way Batman will stop him from doing something like that again."

"Okay, got it man."

"You do have to talk to someone and Black Canary is your best bet, she'll understand why you can't keep appointments and won't hold it against you. Plus she's one of the best in the League and, to be honest, our only real therapist. Most of us have a confidant, someone who knew us in our other identity and who we trust with our secret, that we talk to."

"Since I don't know both my identities, I'm assigned someone for that."

"In a way I guess,"

"Flash? What are you doing? How'd you? What?"

GL sighed "This is easier without other people around." We landed on his roof and Flash ran up the side. I punched him and he almost flew off the roof.

Flash sat up "Hey! What was that for?"

As he moved to help Flash up, GL scolded me "Smoking is one thing, it's an image thing. I can kinda understand that but punching teammates without provocation is unacceptable."

"He heals fast."

Flash asked "So? It still, wait how did you?"

GL looked at me surprised, "How did you figured that out?"

I gave them a look "I punched him."

Flash said "I don't get it."

"I can push parts of buildings out of the way. I did a lot of that during my first fire rescue when I didn't understand fire makes stuff too hot for people to touch, before I knew how to talk." I shrugged, "I push parts of buildings out of the way and carry people out of fires. Most people are bigger than me. A lot of heroes are about my size but most people are bigger." I shrugged again. Remember, I sugarcoat my words a bit as I type them and I ain't really quoting anyone.

Flash said "That does make sense. So you hit me that hard."

"I don't feel things. I know Razor hit me because I saw him do it. I don't know how hard I hit you but I think when Batman tested me, in the Batcave when he was trying to figure out who I am, I think he figured I was pretty strong. No super-strength, I'm just stronger than most."

Green Lantern said "I think you're right. Remember the arsonist."

"The day I met you?"

"Yeah. If I remember right, you carried him out of one building and up another without any trouble. STAR Labs ran a bunch of tests on him, when they did a weigh in he wasn't underweight."

"Just deaf if I remember right."

"Yeah. A deaf pyrokinetic. We figure he didn't know how to get help with his powers and panicked. My contact that told me where he'd be said they had a suspect, must've tailed the kid on a calm day."

Flash whined "You go on adventures with him but not me."

I asked him "Who are you talking to?"

GL backed me up "You go on adventures with Hal and Green Arrow." He said adventures with a sarcastic tone.

I asked "Is the Watchtower gym fireproof?"

They both looked at me, GL asking the question "Why?"

I crossed my arms "Because I have fire powers and I thought you said something about the gym being specially made for superpowers."

GL let out a long breath, Flash shrugged "I don't know. I'll ask Batman, he knows everything."

GL's arm shot out as he made a construct "Flash," said man ran into said construct and it wrapped around his body, making Flash glow green. GL told him "It's daylight. Batman is either on the Watchtower, on a League mission or out of costume."

I asked "Batman is human, right?" Flash nodded. I said "Just checking," so they'd stop staring at me.

GL focused on Flash "You can't just run to Gotham and talk to him."

I said "I don't need him to fireproof it. I was just asking if it was already fireproof. Doesn't Superman have heat vision?"

Flash explained "Superman isn't a gym guy, I think he prefers the simulators. I like the supersonic treadmill but human heroes use the gym more. Don't get me wrong, both human and superpowered heroes use both but we all have our preference. I like the treadmill when I'm alone, if I have someone to train with I'll use the simulator or if I really need to work on my reflexes. Human heroes mix a lot, using both to keep body strong and skills sharp. I think Green Arrow made a simulation for target practice, with just targets so he could work on his distance. I'm not sure it's still there, Batman doesn't like us messing with the tech. If I have a spotter for the gym, I also have a partner for the sim room and I prefer the second one."

GL made construct over Flash's mouth to stop the rambling, I said "Thanks. Can you simplify that?"

"Flash likes the treadmill, he uses the simulator for reflex training or when he has a partner to train with. All heroes have access to the gym and simulator. Flash said Superman prefers the simulator." He turned to me, retracting the power from the construct. "Superman having heat vision doesn't mean the gym has fireproofing since Superman doesn't use the gym."

"Okay. Got it."

GL turned back to Flash, "Don't you have a day job?"

Flash gave a mock salute and fled. I asked "Time to work on my words?"

GL lead me inside, "You're the one who wanted my help."

I nodded "You're patient with me, most people get frustrated fast."

We sat at his table and he asked about new words I'd heard, always a good start since I can sometimes figure out a word. John always kept the lesson short, maybe two hours. Then we went out on patrol or if I was losing focus, he made sure I got out of the building before I blacked out. That day after the first hour, I asked "How much ya think this has helped?"

John said "You're learning to figure out what words mean without asking, I'd say that's pretty helpful with your image. You don't want idiot jokes directed at you. Do you understand what I just said?"

I nodded then got his point, "Wow." We finished the lesson and parted.


	12. Hanging with Hawkgirl

I technically didn't meet Hawkgirl until I joined the Justice League and we never really worked together. When I promised Hawkgirl, I was trying to think of aliens. I do actually have a story to tell with Hawkgirl but it's not really a first encounter since we'd already met when I joined the League and it's not really a good story. It's just us kinda hanging out in the League HQ.

When heroes hang out in the HQ, there's like three things we can do. Hang out in the cafeteria, spar in the gym and keep each other company during monitor duty. I'm never scheduled for monitor duty but all Leaguers have to do it so I'm listed as an ICE/emergency. If whoever is scheduled can't do it then I get called. Most of the ICE list for monitor duty can do it anytime like Red Tornado (android so no alter ego) or they're willing to take multiple turns so they're always on call for the task. Officially I'm on the list for the second reason, I think it's because the League is aware I don't control when I'm in control so I can't commit to a schedule, the same reason I'm exempt from most mandatory meetings.

I'm going to stop explaining things and tell the story. I was doing easy pull-ups in the gym, I have to pull myself over a rail to scale fire escapes quickly. Hawkgirl came in, I never pay the others any mind when I exercise my right to use the Watchtower. Hawkgirl asked "Getting bored?"

I said "I have to keep up my strength for fire rescue. If I can't pull my own weight, I can't carry others out." I knew why she'd asked. She wanted to spar. I thought talking about fire rescue would get her to lose interest, it works on most heroes.

She said "The League isn't all fire rescue, you know? Come on down, I'll show you a few moves."

I chuckled "Last time I accepted that kind of invitation, I wound up with a limp for over a week that I remember."

She set her mace down, "Come on. I hear you're stronger than most of the League."

I dropped down, "I'm also younger than most and diagnosed with a mental disorder. Why don't you take on Green Arrow or someone else with stripes?" I knew Hawkgirl was one of the League's toughest fighters. Being an alien military officer, it's not hard to guess why.

She picked up her mace, "Fine," and bated me, "I thought you were one of the fearless ones."

"I'm the only one who focuses on fire rescue and doesn't consider all criminals bad guys." I really should have thought that through. Shayera is often considered a war criminal so my comment hit a sore spot. It was kinda a compliment, saying she's not a bad guy. She attacked. While I train to be strong and fast on my feet for fire rescue, I do not train to take on an alien with an electric mace or any battle really.

I barely got out of her way before she hit the wall with that thing. The gym is reinforced to handle Superman throwing an opponent hard and any number of superpowers. Without thinking I moved onto the mat that was in the room for precisely this purpose, not Hawkgirl trying to kill me but two heroes training by going at it, sparring. I asked "Why'd you set the thing down if you wanted to kill me with it?"

Hawkgirl set it under the pull-up bar, "You shouldn't have said that about criminals."

She charged me and I ran down the mat, "Were you even listening? I said I'm the only one who doesn't think all criminals are bad guys. Maybe I'm not the only one who thinks that but how am I insulting you by saying that?"

She said "Stop running and fight."

I stepped off the mat, "No. I'm fire rescue. I handle evacuation while the rest of the world's heroes are too busy chasing bad guys. You want a fight, go find a bank robber. That's not my thing."

I went over to the treadmill to work on my speed. The League's one room gym doesn't have special training tech but it's reinforced to handle people with superpowers using in it. Which means Superman can probably use the same treadmill I use. Truth is if you don't need the reinforcements then you can use a normal gym. That might be why the gym never seems as packed as the cafeteria.

Somehow blowing off, Hawkgirl made her more interested (not like that pervs). She stood in front of the treadmill, "What's your top speed?"

I shrugged, "Fast enough. Smoke inhalation is an invisible killer, can't be too fast."

She pressed a button and the tread moved faster, "How's this?"

I picked up my pace, "I was going for endurance training but I'm still good." She turned it up again, I kept my balance but it was exhausting "I'm not a speedster. The equipment's reinforced remember."

She turned it back down and walked beside me "If you're not challenging yourself then what's the point?"

I said "I don't want to hurt myself training. If I break my leg then I can't run through a burning building."

She pulled out her Justice League ID card, "You know you can program the equipment to your own personal setting. See?" I swiped my League ID where she pointed, "Now the treadmill will max out before it reaches speedster levels. Set it to a certain speed and run your card again if you want to create a setting."

I turned it up to just before it was exhausting then ran my card, "Now what?"

"Now step off. Next time you use the treadmill, run your card before you start running and it'll default to this speed."

I stepped down and the treadmill turned off, "Does that work for everything in here?"

"Everything with a card slot. Fair warning once you make your settings, Batman can see your stats."

"Cool. I don't see the problem with that," I walked around, looking at the equipment's card slots.

"You're young, you'll get tired of Batman knowing everything eventually."

"He doesn't know everything. He still can't tell me what happens during my blackouts," I was standing by the door.

Hawkgirl picked up her mace, "Hungry?"

Smiling, I shook my head. I followed Hawkgirl out of the gym, all the way to a table in the cafeteria with food on our trays.

I count Green Lantern among my friends in the League, I don't count any of them as my enemies but I'm not close with all of the heroes. Green Lantern was the first person to really help me, I would never think about telling Batman what I told Lantern. His relationship with Hawkgirl is complicated, to say the least. They were close before her people came to Earth. After her almost betrayal they never really recovered. Green Lantern would never hold that kind of history against me and soon after we started talking, I heard him say "Mind if I join you?"

I shook my head and Hawkgirl said "Go right ahead."

Green Lantern sat down, "I see you've made a friend, Torch."

"She tried to kill me with her mace." He looked horrified, Hawkgirl and I just started laughing.

Hawkgirl said "I was trying to get him to spar but he's set on being fire rescue."

"Pied Piper is considered a bad guy but seems to me he does a lot more good than some so-called philanthropists. Mind you I don't remember benefiting from his donations."

Green Lantern said "You've been saying that since I met you."

"Well it's true. It's also the easiest way to get people to understand why I don't care about what people think of me." After that immediate tension, things cooled into small talk.


	13. Teamwork

I report in or at least make sure my com-link is on whenever I'm me. One day, the call went out "All available members with a fire background report to the Watchtower." I had learned a few shortcuts from Flash so I didn't need a ride to DC whenever the League needs me.

I radioed "Torch responding," as I headed towards the Flash museum. All other responders were dismissed after that, I got the job.

I arrived on the Watchtower "Where do you need me?"

Martian Manhunter, a League coordinator, approached me with Razor beside him. Razor saw me and said "No way. Why can't Blaze fill the slot?" I stood in front of them, tempted to make flames creep up Razor's metal skin for being a baby.

Manhunter explained "Razor has been assigned a mission requiring one with a strong fire background. You are the best fit." Glancing at Razor, he continued "You are a dedicated fireman and an experienced pyrokinetic."

I said "I'm guessing Razor was hoping for his buddy Blaze and you didn't tell him who you picked."

Manhunter said "That is correct."

I walked up to Razor, who turned into the arrogant jackass he really is. "I'm the boss on this one, matchstick. Still think I'm fake?"

"Yes," I replied. "Everyone in the League is equal." I looked at Manhunter, "What is the mission?"

"This is my mission, I'm the boss, matchstick." Feel free to read Razor's lines in the voice of a kindergartener.

"My name is Torch or is that not derogatory enough for you?"

Manhunter settled things "Razor is in charge for the mission. The Justice League has a no bullying policy, as you both know, that does extend to name-calling."

Razor looked shocked "What? Name-calling is against the rules? Since when?"

Manhunter clarified "Affectionate name-calling is allowed, encouraged even as such behavior shows combrodary but insults are strictly forbidden." He looked at each of us, I think I was smirking at Razor's shocked expression. "Follow me for a proper debrief." I sat in the meeting room, watching Razor stew as the whole team was brought up to speed on what the League knew and what they were gonna do. Razor no doubt tried to get Blaze on his team, what with them being best buds. Maybe his argument is what lead to my presence.

The briefing was on a squad of kids, legacies taking the Rogues name, with various suspected power-sets but the only known members were human. Manhunter asked at the end of the briefing "Any questions?"

I raised my hand, to Manhunter's curiosity and Razor's silent anger, "What do I do if fire isn't involved?"

Manhunter answered "Help in any way you can, as you will all be expected to." Looking around I realized there were no seasoned veterans, none of the big names.

I clarified "Can Razor bench me for no reason?"

Manhunter caught on to what I was doing, "You may not be sidelined unless you are a justifiable danger to yourself, the team, the mission or civilians. Please report all violations of the rules as they happen. To reiterate, all bullying between members, including insults, is forbidden by Justice League policy." Razor was regretting taking the job of team leader.

I said "Thank you, Manhunter. I think we're set. Anyone know how to fly a Javelin? I do."

Razor said "You do not."

"Black Canary taught me how."

"When?"

Manhunter said "Torch is the only certified pilot among you. Please proceed to your mission."

I got what he meant, and left for the Javelin bay. I turned around as we entered "Razor, ya need to sign one out for us."

Razor said "You're the pilot."

I grabbed his arm and pulled him over the logs, shoving his hand down next to the sign-out. He glared at me, glanced at the sheet then signed one out before storming back to the team. I took the activation key and went over to the designated craft, Razor scrambling after with the team following. I ran pre-takeoff checks as they caught up and boarded. I took the radio and nearly threw it at Razor when we were ready, pointing ahead to the closed bay doors. He radioed our launch status, trying to sound as proper as possible without reading the handbook. One of the control rooms opened the doors and I flew us to the mission coordinates, cloaking us after re-entry. The flight was silent as Razor stewed and no one felt like dealing with his temper tantrum. I landed a few miles away from our target, using scans to ensure the area was clear. Razor looked at the nav system "We're miles away. Why didn't you land closer?"

I showed him the scans and he stuttered to a halt. Outsmarted by an idiot, no doubt went through his mind a few times.

I stood and gestured him forward, Razor lead us off the craft and glared at our landing spot. I stepped around him and started walking away, Razor cried "I'm team leader."

"Then lead," I replied without glancing back. Razor huffed and hurried to get in front of me. Having mapped out our route to make sure we weren't landing too far away, I made a turn without him. The team followed me, reading Razor's act for what it was, macho. Realizing he was alone, Razor scrambled to find us. "Don't wander off."

Galant, a super with energy powers, said "We didn't, you did. Torch knows the way."

Reluctantly, Razor followed me, declaring "When we get close, I'm taking the lead." If you're surprised I used a big word, remember I finished high school in prison.

After more of Razor's grumblings, macho displays and a few turns, I stopped, stepped to the side, grabbed Razor and threw him in front. Pointing to our target, the building suspected of housing a lot the kid Rogues' forces, I said "You take the lead." Razor gladly did, using his blades to cut the way in.

In his haste to be a big man, Razor royally screwed us. The Rogues, being the superior strategists, took out the most powerful first. Teleporter Krisnos and I were blasted first, then the strongest among the legacies threw us around a bit. When they knocked Krisnos out, they focused on me while the rest of the team battled one super and a gang of humans. I didn't go down easy, throwing fire to keep them away and trying to take down the strongmen. That ultimately failed and I was beaten into a crater before they turned to the rest of the team.

Starting a fire in my hands, I burned my right arm to heal it so I could call for backup. I was careful to extinguish and hide the flames when the enemy could see it. I moved my partially healed arm to my earpiece, "Torch requesting backup. Krisnos isn't moving after possible metahuman strongmen attacked us. I was literally pounded into pavement, likely broken ribs, at least. Team facing superior numbers and power-sets." Razor immediately retracted the request for backup.

Within twenty minutes most of the team was unconscious, I made a huge fire around myself and stood. Razor was losing his battle, the enemy had stopped ganging up on us when the fights stopped being fun. Mostly from energy blasts, fires blazed throughout the battlefield. I shot out, my whole body blazing. Everyone turned to a trippy sight, or it was trippy to me, as the blazes scattered throughout came together and came to me. Fire swallowed me up and I achieved that odd sensation where my eyes are blocked but I can still see. I yelled "Run!" then the fire around me attacked all the superhumans on the Rogues side. Razor stumbled to help the team get out of the area while I distracted the Rogues.

A metal arm came at me through the flames as Razor threw me onto his shoulder and ran. He asked "Where?" I pointed out the turns and he carried me back to the jet.

I said "Call for a pick up." Razor collapsed against the jet as he tried to set me down.

Razor asked "What about autopilot?"

I said "Can't set it."

"Too many for a pickup. Shoulda guarded Krisnos as an escape plan, kept you two in the back so ya could save him. Shoulda done better."

I pulled out a fake smoke, lit it and tossed it in my mouth. Man, my arms were jacked up. I asked "Can you load us up? How are your fingers?"

"My fingers?"

"Call and set autopilot, I can barely smoke."

"Gotta work together," Razor was clocking out.

I used the Javelin to get on my feet then pulled the rest of the team up "Ya good?"

Razor struggled, I yanked him up "Can you walk?"

Razor nodded and we boarded. I nearly fell trying to load the team, Razor said "Stand still." He strapped everyone in and I sat in the copilot seat, fumbling with the radio. Razor snatched it "We're all injured, I'm about to pass out. We need autopilot instructions." He sat in the pilot seat and followed the instructions as I passed out. When I woke up, Razor and I were sharing an infirmary room. We were in separate beds, perverts.

John was watching over us, he saw me open my eyes. "How ya feeling?"

"John, I don't process pain or get tired like you do."

"I meant, can you feel all your body parts? We need to check for brain damage. You have a broken skull,"

"Broken skull? You mean the thing holding my brain?"

"Yes. Any other person would've died. You managed to not only survive but also defend your team and get everyone on board the Javelin. If this were the Marines, you'd get a medal or some kind of accommodations, a reward. The League's not the Marines so we're just gonna make sure you're okay and ask for a mission report."

"I can barely talk right, I can't do reports."

"I mean you tell me what happened and I'll write the report, you get special treatment for your mental problems. Now, can you feel your legs and arms? Can you see, hear, all that?"

"Yeah. Clearly I can hear and speak. Why can't I move my arms or legs?"

John looked at some kind of machine, "Bad start. You're on all kinds of medication."

"Pain meds seem pointless to me."

"Yeah but with your skull damage, among other things, they have to give you some meds."

"Among other things?"

"Most of your bones are broken. Your spine's healed some and most of your organs were unharmed but I'm guessing you did your fire trick and they healed. You have a lot of other things I can't dumb down enough, we haven't covered the word tendon or any of the fancy terms. Basically, you might as well be in a coma for all the stuff you can do."

"My metahuman thing makes knocking me out with meds impossible."

"Yeah, tough break." I smirked, and John said "I'm going to get Manhunter. He might be able to speed things along."

As soon as the door sealed shut behind him, Razor chuckled "Thought he'd never leave." Razor turned to me, "You saved my life, and so I made them let us bunk together. We're both dangerous to places like this, they thought you might accidentally burn me. Lantern has his glowing forcefield so he wasn't as risky but I had to make it clear I wasn't gonna back down."

I blinked a few times while he caught his breath before responding, "So I coulda got a room to myself but you threw a fit 'til they threw us together."

"That and they wanted to put me on restricted duty, basically let me work only when I did it their way. Y'know what? I thought Lantern was some kinda guard dog." He reached out his hand.

"I can't move my arms."

"Right. You're a good man, Torch." After that, no one messed with me and on the one or two occasions a Leaguer tried their luck, Razor taught them better. I was used to Razor being chill and friendly by the time he started defending me.


End file.
